BUCKLED RCT: Bedside ultrasound conducted in kids with distal upper limb fractures in the emergency department (randomised controlled trial)
Quick facts
Children frequently present to the emergency department with forearm injuries and often have an x-ray to assess if there is a fracture. Bedside ultrasound is a test that emergency practitioners can use to rapidly diagnose a fracture at the time of examination, without exposing children to ionising radiation. This trial will assess whether an x-ray is unnecessary when there is either a buckle fracture or no fracture seen on a portable ultrasound machine. We will also determine the time and cost implications of this new approach, which could enable families to go home earlier and could be more cost-effective, with less x-rays being ordered.