Dr Peter Snelling is a dual qualified Emergency Physician and Paediatrician with a special interest in Paediatric Emergency Medicine Point-of-care Ultrasound (PEM POCUS). He has undertaken an international traineeship in PEM POCUS at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children and is a member of the international P2 Network. He holds a Certificate in Clinician Performed Ultrasound through ASUM. He is currently a PhD candidate through Griffith University with the theme of the use of ultrasound for paediatric forearm injuries. His portfolios within the Emergency Department include paediatrics and ultrasound.
Prof Gerben Keijzers, A/Prof Shane George, Dr Stuart Watkins, Mr Michael Summers
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.
Prof Claire Rickard (Griffith, AVATAR)
Prof Amanda Ullman, Dr Nicole Marsh, Ms Tricia Kleidon, Prof Gerben Keijzers, Dr Jessica Schults, Prof Marie Cooke, A/Prof Joshua Byrnes, Prof Robert Ware, Prof Louise Cullen, Dr Stuart Watkins
Members of the ED Collaborative Research Group have been part of a successful partnership grant awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council. They awarded 1.5M AUD which was matched for by national and state health partners (who contributed 2.1M)
The main aim is to improve the experience for thousands who require peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters throughout the health system. Griffith researchers will work with three Queensland partner hospitals (two metropolitan and one regional), the Queensland rural and remote education provider, and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare on the project.
In the first stage of the three-year project, Griffith researchers with partners and stakeholders will co-design a difficult IV access ultrasound pathway and associated implementation strategies. The second stage will see a progressively trialled implementation across hospitals, with a national rollout (metropolitan, rural and remote settings) in the final stage
Snelling, P.J. and Tessaro, M., 2017. Paediatric emergency medicine point‐of‐care ultrasound: Fundamental or fad?. Emergency Medicine Australasia, 29(5), pp.486-489.
Shellshear, D., Snelling, P.J., O’brien, A. and Barrett, M.J., 2018. Emergency Point-of-Care Ultrasound Identification of Pediatric Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Malfunctions. Pediatric emergency care, 34(1), pp.61-63.
Snelling, P.J., 2018. A low‐cost ultrasound model for simulation of paediatric distal forearm fractures. Australasian Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, 21(2), pp.70-74.
Snelling, P., 2019. BUCKLED: Bedside ultrasound conducted in kids with distal upper limb fractures in the emergency department (observational trial). Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, 45, pp.S64-S65.
Dr Peter Snelling is a dual qualified Emergency Physician and Paediatrician with a special interest in Paediatric Emergency Medicine Point-of-care Ultrasound (PEM POCUS). He has undertaken an international traineeship in PEM POCUS at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children and is a member of the international P2 Network. He holds a Certificate in Clinician Performed Ultrasound through ASUM. He is currently a PhD candidate through Griffith University with the theme of the use of ultrasound for paediatric forearm injuries. His portfolios within the Emergency Department include paediatrics and ultrasound.
Dr Stuart Watkins is an Emergency Physician at the Gold Coast University Hospital where he is the supervisor for the ED focused ultrasound program.
Main portfolio interests are focused ultrasound, improving procedural safety and ED Systems. He is a regular faculty member for ultrasound training workshops local, national and internationally.
Dr Watkins is a member of ASUM and the ACEM ultrasound subcommittee. He leads the ED program to improve intravenous cannulation practice and the use of ultrasound guidance to improve success and patient care. To support the training of ultrasound to clinicians we need to develop strong governance systems and proof of effect through research, audit and peer support.
Inserting a cannula (plastic tube) into a child's vein is a common procedure performed in the Emergency Department. This can be challenging and can cause considerable distress for the child and caregiver. The use of ultrasound is well established for guiding cannulas into veins of adults who are recognised as having difficult access. However, it is less commonly used in children for this purpose. By conducting this trial, we aim to identify factors that influence the success of cannula insertion into veins of children, particularly the early identification of patients with potentially difficult access, and any factors that influence the longevity of cannulas.
