The Prognostic Value of Using Ultrasonography in Cardiac Resuscitation of Patients with Cardiac Arrest

Cardiopulmonary arrest is the final result of many diseases and therefore, need for a careful implementation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) protocols in these cases is undeniably important. The introduction of ultrasound into the emergency department has potentially allowed the addition of an extra data point in the decision about when to cease cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of cardiac ultrasonography performed by emergency physicians to predict resuscitation outcome in adult cardiac arrest patients. Ultrasonographic examination of the subxiphoid cardiac area was made immediately after admission to the emergency department with pulseless cardiac arrest. Sonographic cardiac activity was defined as any detectable motion within the heart including the atria, ventricles or valves. Successful resuscitation was defined as: return of spontaneous circulation for ≥ 20 min; return of breathing; palpable pulse; measurable blood pressure. The present study includes 159 patients. The presence of sonographic cardiac activity at the beginning of resuscitation was significantly associated with a successful outcome (41/49 [83.7%] versus 15/110 [13.6%] patients without cardiac activity at the beginning of resuscitation). Ultrasonographic detection of cardiac activity may be useful in determining prognosis during cardiac arrest. Further studies are needed to elucidate the predictive value of ultrasonography in cardiac arrest patients.