Image quality and technical limitations in emergency department cardiac point-of-care ultrasound: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To assess the image quality and common technical limitations seen on cardiac point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) performed and archived in a single New Zealand ED.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of clinically indicated cardiac POCUS, archived from 1 October 2019 to 20 May 2020. Archived examinations were retrospectively reviewed by an ED POCUS expert, and an expert cardiac sonographer to determine diagnostic image quality, technical limitations present and opportunities for image quality improvement.