Emergency Department Ultrasound in Pregnancy
Point-of-care ultrasound is a safe and efficient tool for the assessment of the pregnant patient. Bedside imaging can rapidly diagnose unstable conditions like ectopic pregnancy without the patient ever leaving the emergency department. In contrast to consultative ultrasound, point-of-care ultrasound answers focused clinical questions and is primarily used for identification of early pregnancy location (intrauterine vs. ectopic vs. indeterminate), gestational dating, and limited fetal biometry. This chapter will describe the technical acquisition of these ultrasound images, both transabdominally and transvaginally, and will discuss image interpretation, including a particular focus on the controversy surrounding the use of a β-HCG “discriminatory zone.”.
