Disposition, as it relates to emergency ultrasound, is summed up by the question, “At what point can a patient go home after I have done an emergency ultrasound?” The answer will vary depending on which indication prompted the study and what findings were detected. Some emergency physicians believe that every screening ultrasound should have a formal, confirmatory study or clinical observation unless the ultrasound findings identify a life-threat in an unstable patient. Other emergency physicians believe that a negative ED ultrasound in the hands of an experienced practitioner is strong evidence that the patient does not have the suspected condition. In such cases, the decision to perform a formal study in radiology would be left to the patient’s follow-up physician.

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