Manual Palpation vs. Femoral Arterial Doppler Ultrasound for Comparison of Pulse Check Time During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Study

Few acute care providers consider pulse assessment in the critically ill patient a challenging skill. Evaluating for the presence or absence of a pulse with manual palpation (MP) is currently the gold standard taught by the American Heart Association and European Resuscitation Council guidelines (1,2). Minimizing interruptions to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), including the time spent during pulse checks, increases compression fraction and improves survival outcomes (3 –8). However, utilizing MP for pulse assessment in an accurate and timely fashion is more complicated than it seems.
Source: The Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Ultrasound in Emergency Medicine Source Type: research