A case report of point-of-care ultrasound directed thrombectomy: a reversible cause of cardiac arrest managed with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

11-29-2023

Journal

Clinical and experimental emergency medicine

DOI

10.15441/ceem.23.084

Keywords

Case reports; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Heart arrest; Point-of-care ultrasound; Thrombectomy

Abstract

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been increasingly employed in the emergency department for patients with a potentially reversible cause of cardiac arrest. We present the case of a young female patient with an in-hospital cardiac arrest who was found to have severe right heart strain on point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), suggesting a massive pulmonary embolism. Rapid bedside diagnosis using ultrasound expedited bedside cannulation and initiation of ECMO as a bridge to surgical thrombectomy, and ultimately the patient survived with full neurologic function. With its ready availability and increasing acceptance by consultants, POCUS should be incorporated into cardiac arrest algorithms as the standard of care to rule in thrombotic and obstructive causes of cardiac arrest.

Department

Emergency Medicine

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