Emergency department diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy

Diagnosis and treatment of ectopic pregnancy

“…6 Although the incidence of ectopic pregnancy in the general population is about 2%, the prevalence among pregnant patients presenting to an emergency department with first-trimester bleeding or pain, or both, is 6% to 16%. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] Thus, greater suspicion and a lower threshold for investigation are justified.…”

Reviewing the guidelines from the Brazilian Ministry of Health for diagnosis of early pregnancy

“…The positive likelihood ratio was under 5, given an overall post-test probability of 51%, which is similar to the results found by Stovall et al for diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy. 17 When the overall examiners assumed that the patient was not pregnant, they were wrong in only 5% (95% CI 0.03-0.09). At first, this seems to be an excellent performance for a clinical exam.…”

Evaluation of Waiting Times and Sonographic Findings in Patients with First Trimester Vaginal Bleeding at the University Hospital of the West Indies. Can Emergency Department Ultrasound Make a Difference?

“…Several studies document the ability of emergency physicians to reliably and safely perform limited sonographic evaluations of the pelvis in first trimester patients with vaginal bleeding (2,4). The reduction in waiting time, reduced time to definitive care and increased availability of ED beds are significant benefits to be had from such an approach.…”