Point-of-care Cardiac Ultrasound in Coronavirus Disease 2019: Indications and Potentials

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) strained health systems worldwide and underscored the need for rapid, safe, and efficient bedside imaging. This narrative review synthesizes forty studies, largely from the United States and Europe, on the role of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the care of patients with COVID-19, with emphasis on cardiology. Compared with full transthoracic echocardiography and computed tomography, POCUS is faster, less costly, and free of ionizing radiation. Several reports document a reduction in staff exposure time by up to seventy-one percent, lowering infection risk and conserving personal protective equipment. In critically ill patients, POCUS frequently identifies right ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary abnormalities, including vertical reverberation artifacts and subpleural consolidations, which support timely clinical decisions; some series observed management changes in as many as seventy percent of cases. Limitations include operator dependence, variable image quality, and a restricted field of view that can necessitate complementary imaging. Overall, POCUS shows strong promise as an integral element of COVID-19 pathways and routine cardiovascular care. Broader training, competency assessment, and standardized protocols are needed to ensure consistent, high-quality implementation at the bedside.