Point of Care Ultrasound [POCUS] in Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest is a medical emergency affecting many adults around the world. The quality and efficacy of cardiopulmonary resuscitation [CPR] are associated with improved survival. Reported differences in CPR performance and survival among centres have motivated the resuscitation community to develop guidelines and tools to improve CPR outcomes.Many tools are proposed for the assessment of cardiac arrest aiming for identifying the underlying cause, especially reversible ones, assessing the response of the patient to resuscitation in order to restore the normal circulation. Each of these tools have its own limitations and even failure of improving survival rates.Point of care ultrasound [POCUS] is increasingly used in the emergency department. The application and utilization of POCUS is still below what is expected. This may be attributed to the fact that ultrasound is operator-dependent. However, in presence of a well-trained expert, POCUS may improve outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This review will highlight the role of POCUS in cardiac arrest.