Portable ultrasound machines can help prevent death in accidents

NEW DELHI: Adding to its list of life- saving innovations, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences ( AIIMS) Trauma Centre has successfully used a portable ultrasound device to detect critical neck injury in accident cases.

“T he first responder in accident cases needs to know if the victim has a critical neck injury because wrong handling can make the injury worse or even kill the patient,” says Dr Deepak Agarwal, additional professor, neurosurgery department, AIIMS.

“Portable ultrasound machines have 100% accuracy in neck-injury detection and these can be used to scan victims for critical cervi- cal spine injury right at the accident spot. Early detection also means starting the treatment early that saves precious time,” says Dr Agrawal.

The use of ultrasound has removed the need for making the accident victim, who more often than not is unconscious, undergo specialised tests such as CT or MRI cans, which require some manoeuvring.

The results of the innovation have been documented and published in the Journal of Pediatric Neurosciences by the hospital.

Results of 10 accident victims, who were taken to the AIIMS’ Trauma Centre, were used to assess the feasibility of standard portable ultrasound in detecting cervical spine injuries in patients with severe head injury.

The pilot study was carried out over a one- month period after approval from the hospital’s ethics committee.

To assess the feasibility of use in the emergency setting, three hemodynamically stable ( no blood circulation problems) patients under 18 years old with only severe head injury were scanned with an ultrasound machine after they arrived in the hospital emergency wing.

“Nobody has ever used ultrasound on critical cervical spine injury patients. We have done it and with 100% accurate results so we could start the resuscitation without wasting any time,” said Dr Agrawal, who led the study.

The AIIMS’ Trauma Centre gets about 15 to 20 severe cervical spine ( neck injury) cases per month, who require immediate intervention.

“For country like ours, it also works because the cost of ultrasound scan is very low; it is almost free,” he said.

Portable ultrasound machines have 100% accuracy in neck-injury detection and these can be used to scan victims for critical cervical spine injury right at the accident spot. Early detection also means starting the treatment early that saves precious time

DEEPAK AGARWAL, additional professor, AIIMS