Emergency Sonography for the Elderly

Abstract

An emergency sonography (ES) is a helpful diagnostic tool designed as a small, portable unit that is user-friendly for emergency department physicians in cases of early diagnoses, especially for elderly patients with complex problems. This unit may reduce the risks of radiation contributed by other examinations using computed tomography (CT). As with other adult patients, an ES for the elderly can be a life- and time-saving procedure and it can increase efficiency while maximizing patients’ safety. Because elderly patients have more complications and a higher mortality rate than their younger counterparts, early use of ES is considered a guideline for the elderly worldwide. For reasons of delays or atypical symptoms/signs with the elderly, it is difficult to determine structural anatomy if the patients have undergone a laparotomy, or if their organs are displaced. A misinterpretation may occur because of the complexities of the patients’ symptoms. It is possible to compare a real-time sonography with prior images for elderly patients with preexisting abnormalities to assess any changes since the symptoms first appeared or when the symptoms worsened. It is a great benefit for emergency physicians to have the advantages of an emergency ultrasound when using a sonography that increases the elderly patients’ safety. An ES unit is easy to use, portable, and noninvasive. It can act as the “third eye” for the physicians to help them evaluate actual and potential lesions more clearly.

Keywords

• elderly
• emergency department
• emergency sonography
• ultrasound