POCUS literature primer: key papers on cardiac and lung POCUS

Although point of care ultrasound (POCUS) use has become prevalent in medicine, clinicians may not be familiar with the evidence supporting its utility in patient care. The objective of this study is to identify the top five most influential papers published on the use of cardiac POCUS and lung POCUS in adult patients.

A 14-member expert panel from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) Emergency Ultrasound Committee and the Canadian Ultrasound Fellowship Collaborative used a modified Delphi process. Panel members are ultrasound fellowship trained or equivalent, are engaged in POCUS scholarship, and are leaders in POCUS locally and nationally in Canada. The modified Delphi process consisted of three rounds of sequential surveys and discussion to achieve consensus on the top five most influential papers on cardiac POCUS and lung POCUS.

A total of 66 relevant papers on cardiac POCUS and 68 relevant papers on lung POCUS were nominated by the panel. There was 100% participation by the panel members in all three rounds of the modified Delphi process. At the end of this process, we identified the top five most influential papers on cardiac POCUS and lung POCUS. Papers include studies supporting the use of POCUS for accurately assessing left ventricular systolic function, diagnosing pericardial effusion, clarifying its test characteristics for pulmonary embolism, identifying pulmonary edema and pneumonia, as well as consensus statements on the use of cardiac and lung POCUS in clinical practice.

We have created a list of the top five influential papers on cardiac POCUS and lung POCUS as an evidence-based resource for trainees, clinicians, and researchers. This will help trainees and clinicians better understand how to use POCUS when scanning the heart and lungs, and it will also help researchers better understand where to direct their scholarly efforts with future research.