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Review
. 2025 Jan 13;17(1):e77388.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.77388. eCollection 2025 Jan.

Prehospital Use of Ultrasound by Paramedics: A Literature Review

Melissa Mallary  1 , Janelle Trefsgar  2 , Meriah Parker  3 , Isabella Hobbs  1 , Avery Love  4 , Inder Makin  5
Affiliations
Review

Prehospital Use of Ultrasound by Paramedics: A Literature Review

Melissa Mallary et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Ultrasound technology is widely used in hospital settings throughout the United States to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. While the benefits of utilizing ultrasound in hospital settings are well understood, there are prehospital scenarios where the utility of ultrasound could be examined. Prehospital care often addresses acute and time-sensitive medical conditions, in which additional diagnostic information and early pathology detection can be crucial. Given the nature of these conditions, the use of ultrasound by paramedics in the prehospital setting is considered. This narrative review assesses the benefits and challenges of implementing widespread prehospital ultrasound use.

Keywords: diagnostic ultrasound; ems; paramedics; pocus; prehospital; ultrasound review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

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