CASE REPORT   Open access

Italian Journal of Emergency Medicine 2022 December;11(3):187-90

DOI: 10.23736/S2532-1285.22.00159-8

Copyright © 2022 THE AUTHORS

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language: English

Point of care ultrasonography-cardiac arrest: a case report

Sokol BERISHA ¹, Stefano DE VUONO ¹, Laura SETTIMI ¹, Alessandra LIGNANI ¹, Federica MACELLARI ¹, Rachele DEL SORDO ², Paolo GROFF ¹ ✉

¹ Pronto Soccorso e Osservazione Breve, AO Perugia, Perugia, Italy; ² Department of Anatomy and Pathological Histology, AO Perugia, Perugia, Italy

During cardiac arrest with a non-shockable rhythm, the identification of potentially reversible causes can positively influence the outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Ultrasound is a diagnostic tool at the bedside of the patient that has been studied in the context of out and in-hospital arrest, and POCUS-CA in the hands of a trained clinician, allows for a rapid diagnosis of reversible causes of cardiac arrest with non- shockable rhythms, the monitoring of interventions in terms of response to treatment, and provides prognostic information regarding the possibility of return of spontaneous circulation and survival. In this case report we describe the use of ultrasound in the management of cardiac arrest in asystole-pulseless electrical activity due to cardiac tamponade.

KEY WORDS: Point-of-care systems; Heart arrest; Advanced cardiac life support; Cardiac tamponade; Pericardiocentesis