Ultrasound (US) has advantages of handiness and multifunction in triage and pre-hospital treatment for blast injury. This study aimed to assess the application of ultrasound in pre-hospital rescue for blast injury in the condition of field battle through animal experiments.

Animals were anaesthetized and shaved before exposure to explosion, and then randomly assigned to receive extended focused assessment with sonography for trauma (eFAST) or physical examination.

Blast injury was successfully induced in 44 (48.9%) of 90 animals. US examination was performed for assessment and damage control on 24 models in site. Physical examination and US examination were completed in (60±23) seconds and (230±78) seconds, respectively (t=10.24, P<0.01). The diagnosis accuracy of US (95.8%) was higher than that of physical examination (54.2%) (χ²=8.10, P<0.05). Besides, ultrasound-guided vein catheterizations were performed on 6 models with 100.0% achieving primary operation, compared with bare-handed ones with a 33.3% success rate; the former ones were completed in (300±86) seconds compared with the later ones in (600±67) seconds (t=10.24, P<0.01).

This is a preliminary study to assess the application of US in pre-hospital treatment. The accuracy of rapid diagnosis is improved remarkably by eFAST and more precise treatment can be achieved under the guidance of ultrasound.