[Prehospital point-of-care ultrasound (pPOCUS): "See, decide, act" : Evidence, training concepts, and the role of pPOCUS in the acute assessment of traumatic and nontraumatic emergencies].
Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin · 2026-07-15 · Other / unclear
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Prehospital point-of-care ultrasound (pPOCUS) enables focused sonography for immediate management-relevant clinical questions. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the role of pPOCUS in traumatic and nontraumatic emergencies with regard to evidence, indications, training, and limitations. RESULTS: pPOCUS may provide clinically relevant adjunctive information in trauma, acute dyspnea, chest pain, undifferentiated shock, resuscitation, and selected procedural settings. Current evidence supports its feasibility and frequent impact on management decisions, whereas robust data on patient-centered outcomes remain limited. CONCLUSION: The clinical benefit of pPOCUS depends on appropriate indications, integration into team workflows, structured training, documentation, and quality assurance. pPOCUS should be regarded as focused decision support rather than as an exclusionary diagnostic modality.