Ultrasound (US) has become an integral modality in emergency care in the United
States during the last two decades. Since the last update of these guidelines in 2008,
US use has expanded throughout clinical medicine and established itself as a standard
in the clinical evaluation of the emergency patient. There is a wide breadth of
recognized emergency US applications offering advanced diagnostic and therapeutic
capability benefit to patients across the globe. With its low capital, space, energy, and
cost of training requirements, US can be brought to the bedside anywhere a clinician
can go, directly or remotely. The use of US in emergency care has contributed to
improvement in quality and value, specifically in regards to procedural safety,
timeliness of care, diagnostic accuracy, and cost reduction. In a medical world full of
technological options, US fulfills the concept of “staged imaging” where the use of
US first can answer important clinical questions accurately without the expense, time
or side effects of advanced imaging or invasive procedures.
