Point of care ultrasound versus CT pulmonary angiogram in suspected pulmonary embolus

Abstract

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether non-invasive, multi-organ point of care ultrasound could reduce the need for CTPA in adult patients presenting with clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolus. 3 papers presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. It is concluded that multi-organ POCUS shows promise but that more data is needed to make a definitive statement regarding validity in clinical practice.