Fire Department in Colorado Using Ultrasound To Aid Diagnosis In The Field

South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) covers 287 square miles and serves 540,000 residents of the southern metropolitan area of Denver. During 2021, SMFR responded to 44,760 in-district incidents and 29,422 or 66% of those were medical; 20,458 of the medical calls resulted in transport to the hospital. When safely possible, SMFR administers medical assistance in the field that assists and hastens patient care upon arrival at the hospital. When appropriate, SMFR will treat and resolve the medical issue without hospitalization, if that is in the patient’s best interests. The Emergency Medical Services Division (EMS) of SMFR, “continually searches for the most recent and applicable medical modalities to improve patient outcomes and the patient experience.” In 2018, SMFR EMS began to evaluate the potential use of Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) to assist its paramedics in confirming specific diagnoses in the field to forward their goal of improving patient outcomes.

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