Emergency Ultrasound Program

As emergency physicians we routinely deal with life threatening conditions. Our patients often come to us with vague clinical presentations and labile vital signs with the potential to quickly deteriorate. Focused bedside ultrasound is being used by trained emergency physicians at top universities across the country to provide real time anatomic information regarding the patient's clinical complaint /scenario. It is focused in that it only looks to answer a specific clinical question (ex – Aortic Aneurysm or not? Pericardial Effusion or not?) This allows for rapid evaluation and treatment providing optimal care without moving the patient from the safety of resuscitation area. Ultrasound is also being used to assist in procedural guidance, most commonly peripheral and central venous access.

Studies continue to show that emergency physician performed focused bedside ultrasound accomplishes the following:

Allows procedures to be performed quicker with less complications
Facilitates rapid disposition of patients
Decrease ED and hospital length of stay
Increases patient satisfaction
Can accurately be performed by trained emergency physicians

The UMDNJ-RWJMS Department of Emergency Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital introduced a new Emergency Department based Ultrasound program in November 2006. A portable machine with superb image quality has been purchased and a quality control / assurance program is in place. Our emergency physicians are currently being trained in the performance and interpretation of bedside ultrasound. Currently, all emergency physicians are credentialed to perform ultrasound guided peripheral and central vascular access.

Our goal is to continue to build one of the best Emergency Ultrasound programs in the nation so that our institution can deliver cutting edge care to our patients.

By way of background some key points in the development of emergency ultrasound include:

The American College of Emergency Physicians created guidelines for training and credentialing in 2001.

The American Medical Association and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine have since supported these guidelines and the use of bedside ultrasound by our specialty.

The Residency Review Committee has made it mandatory for Emergency Medicine residency programs to provide training in ultrasound to their residents.

If you wish to learn more about our program please contact Dr. Geria at geriarn@umdnj.edu Rajesh Geria MD, RDMS,

Assistant Professor/Director Emergency Ultrasound Program

PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO READ ABOUT
Dr. Geria and the Ultrasound Program as featured in the
UMG Making the Rounds.