Abstract
* Point-of-care cardiac ultrasound (POCUS) can identify three potentially reversible causes of cardiac arrest in victims with non-shockable rhythms: cardiac tamponade, hypovolemia, and pulmonary embolus. * During cardiac resuscitation, visualization of organized cardiac activity using POCUS suggests that continuous IV adrenergic agents be used instead of bolus therapy to enhance recovery of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). * A protocol should be used with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to minimize interruptions in chest compression during cardiac resuscitation. * Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has four main advantages over TTE during cardiac resuscitation: a more reliable sonographic window of the heart, the ability to continuously image the heart during resuscitation, elimination of pauses in chest compressions to visualize the heart, and the potential for higher resolution to detect small abnormalities.