Pre-hospital and emergency department point-of-care ultrasound in cardiovascular emergencies: a scoping review.
Emergency department point-of-care ultrasound cut time to diagnosis or intervention by 30-70 minutes
Pre-hospital and emergency department point-of-care ultrasound in cardiovascular emergencies: a scoping review.
Point-of-care ultrasound (point-of-care ultrasound) is integral to emergency department (emergency department) and pre-hospital medicine, yet evidence comparing its diagnostic and operational performance across environments remains fragmented, especially in cardiovascular emergencies.
This review aimed to evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance, workflow impact, and clinical influence of point-of-care ultrasound for six major cardiovascular emergencies across pre-hospital and emergency department settings, while examining the effects of operator training, device technology, and governance structures.
Eligible designs included randomised, prospective, and observational studies reporting diagnostic accuracy, process efficiency, management impact, or outcomes.
However, as seen in conditions like undifferentiated shock, these process gains do not consistently translate into improved patient-centred outcomes such as survival or reduced hospital length of stay.
Cardiac-arrest point-of-care ultrasound provided strong prognostic value but required disciplined choreography to avoid interrupting compressions.
Device miniaturisation and brief targeted training enabled field feasibility, while structured curricula, image archiving, and quality assurance (quality assurance) underpinned safety and accuracy.
Point-of-care ultrasound consistently improves diagnostic efficiency and decision-making in both emergency department and pre-hospital settings.
However, evidence that these gains translate into improved patient-centred outcomes remains limited.
Future research should focus on protocolised point-of-care ultrasound pathways integrated with governance structures and system-level responses.