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Whole-Body Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Older Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department After a Fall
Sponsor: Kocaeli City Hospital
Summary
Falls are one of the most common reasons older adults visit the emergency department. In many older patients, a fall that looks "mechanical" is actually caused by an underlying medical problem such as syncope, heart disease, dehydration or blood clots, and the history is often unreliable. This single-center prospective study will evaluate whether a structured whole-body point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) examination performed at the bedside changes how emergency physicians manage patients aged 65 years and older who come to the emergency department after a ground-level fall. The main question is how often POCUS findings change the physician's working diagnosis, consultation requests, additional tests, procedures, or admission/discharge decisions. Patients will also be followed for one week for death and repeat emergency department visits.
Official title: The Effect of Whole-Body Point-of-Care Ultrasonography on Emergency Department Management of Patients Aged 65 Years and Older Presenting With a Ground-Level Fall
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
65 Years - Any
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
105
Start Date
2026-10-12
Completion Date
2027-12
Last Updated
2026-10-21
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Whole-body point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS)
Structured bedside ultrasound examination performed by trained emergency medicine residents who are blinded to clinical information: carotid arteries, inferior vena cava, aortic root and abdominal aorta, FAST, focused cardiac ultrasound, lung ultrasound, quadriceps muscle thickness and, when indicated, 3-point compression ultrasound for deep vein thrombosis. Findings are reported to the treating physician, who makes all clinical decisions.
Locations (1)
Kocaeli City Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine
İzmit, Kocaeli, Turkey (Türkiye)