Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study
Authors:
Faisal Ahmad Alsamiri,
Yahia Yaseen Akeely,
Mohammed Maqbul Alotaibi,
Ali Jaber Alfaifi,
Ftoon Abdulrahman Alebrahimi,
Abdulmajid Yousef Asiri,
Fatima Alzahraa Yassin Shaheen,
Elham Abdelkarim Elnasri
Abstract Introduction: This study aimed to determine the barriers and difficulties of doing point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in cardiac arrest cases in the emergency department (ED). Further, to assess the awareness and appreciation of POCUS's importance and whether there was a correlation between emergency physician training and the performance of POCUS in cardiac arrest. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2024 to February 2025 targeting all emergency physicians in various cities in Saudi Arabia. The pediatricians and obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYNs) physicians were excluded. All selected hospitals had at least four hundred bed capacity. Approximately 250 physicians worked in the selected centers. A Google form link of the questionnaire was sent to every participant. The response rate of 81.6% was achieved. Results: Total of 204 physicians were included in the study. Most of the participants believed in the benefits of using POCUS in cardiac arrest (71.6%). Further, 85.3% of the participants had some way of ultrasound teaching methods. Obvious barriers to using ultrasound; poor quality or large size of the ultrasound machine, lack of training, and not feeling comfortable to make clinical decisions depending on the ultrasound reading during cardiac arrest were the main barriers. Conclusion: This study revealed several ED POCUS barriers during cardiac arrest. Moving these obstacles aside with focused training, better tools, and departmental support might improve POCUS's efficacy and utilization in critical care.
Keywords: Keywords: Point of care ultrasound, cardiac arrest, bedside ultrasound, ultrasound, Saudi Arabia
Authors
Correspondence to:
Yahia Yaseen Akeely, Security Forces Hospital, Emergency Department, Riyadh City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia yahiaakeely@hotmail.com
Publication history:
Received 20 Mar 2025
Accepted 02 Jun 2025
Published online 24 Jun 2025
Alsamiri FA, Akeely YY, Alotaibi MM, Alfaifi AJ, Alebrahimi FA, Asiri AY, Shaheen FAY, Elnasri EA. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study. SJEMed. Online First: 24 Jun, 2025. doi:
10.24911/SJEMed.72-1742424852
Alsamiri FA, Akeely YY, Alotaibi MM, Alfaifi AJ, Alebrahimi FA, Asiri AY, Shaheen FAY, Elnasri EA. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study. https://sjemed.com/?mno=248399 [Access: June 27, 2025]. doi:
10.24911/SJEMed.72-1742424852
Alsamiri FA, Akeely YY, Alotaibi MM, Alfaifi AJ, Alebrahimi FA, Asiri AY, Shaheen FAY, Elnasri EA. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study. SJEMed. Online First: 24 Jun, 2025. doi:
10.24911/SJEMed.72-1742424852
Alsamiri FA, Akeely YY, Alotaibi MM, Alfaifi AJ, Alebrahimi FA, Asiri AY, Shaheen FAY, Elnasri EA. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study. SJEMed, [cited June 27, 2025]; Online First: 24 Jun, 2025. doi:
10.24911/SJEMed.72-1742424852
Alsamiri, F. A., Akeely, . Y. Y., Alotaibi, . M. M., Alfaifi, . A. J., Alebrahimi, . F. A., Asiri, . A. Y., Shaheen, . F. A. Y. & Elnasri, . E. A. (0) Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study. SJEMed, Online First: 24 Jun, 2025. doi:
10.24911/SJEMed.72-1742424852
Alsamiri, Faisal Ahmad, Yahia Yaseen Akeely, Mohammed Maqbul Alotaibi, Ali Jaber Alfaifi, Ftoon Abdulrahman Alebrahimi, Abdulmajid Yousef Asiri, Fatima Alzahraa Yassin Shaheen, and Elham Abdelkarim Elnasri. 0. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study. Saudi Journal of Emergency Medicine, Online First: 24 Jun, 2025. doi:
10.24911/SJEMed.72-1742424852
Alsamiri, Faisal Ahmad, Yahia Yaseen Akeely, Mohammed Maqbul Alotaibi, Ali Jaber Alfaifi, Ftoon Abdulrahman Alebrahimi, Abdulmajid Yousef Asiri, Fatima Alzahraa Yassin Shaheen, and Elham Abdelkarim Elnasri. "Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study." Saudi Journal of Emergency Medicine Online First: 24 Jun, 2025. doi:
10.24911/SJEMed.72-1742424852
Alsamiri, Faisal Ahmad, Yahia Yaseen Akeely, Mohammed Maqbul Alotaibi, Ali Jaber Alfaifi, Ftoon Abdulrahman Alebrahimi, Abdulmajid Yousef Asiri, Fatima Alzahraa Yassin Shaheen, and Elham Abdelkarim Elnasri. "Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study." Saudi Journal of Emergency Medicine Online First: 24 Jun, 2025. Web. 27 Jun 2025 doi:
10.24911/SJEMed.72-1742424852
Alsamiri, F. A., Akeely, . Y. Y., Alotaibi, . M. M., Alfaifi, . A. J., Alebrahimi, . F. A., Asiri, . A. Y., Shaheen, . F. A. Y. & Elnasri, . E. A. (0) Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in emergency department cardiac arrest: barriers and proposed solutions. A cross-sectional study. Saudi Journal of Emergency Medicine, Online First: 24 Jun, 2025. doi:
10.24911/SJEMed.72-1742424852