Cardiac Point-Of-Care Ultrasound: An Emergency Medicine Review

Abstract

Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) can make critical diagnoses and monitor the response to interventions. In contrast with consultative echocardiography, cardiac POCUS serves to answer a specific clinical question. This imaging modality can be used to evaluate for left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction, pericardial effusion and tamponade, acute and chronic right ventricular dysfunction, valvular dysfunction, and cardiac activity in cardiac arrest.

Keywords: Cardiac arrest; Cardiac tamponade; Diastolic dysfunction; Echocardiography; Left ventricle; POCUS; Point-of-care ultrasound; Right ventricle; Systolic dysfunction; Valvular dysfunction; cardiac POCUS.