EchoBridgeMD Pearl #29: Intracardiac Thrombus Can Form During Cardiac Arrest

Intracardiac thrombus can develop rapidly during cardiac arrest as a consequence of the low-flow state. In one study, new thrombus formation was observed approximately 6 minutes after the onset of cardiac arrest.

Therefore, identifying a right-sided thrombus during resuscitation does not always mean that pulmonary embolism (PE) caused the arrest—particularly when the finding appears later in the resuscitation or after prolonged downtime.

Nevertheless, a clot-in-transit with associated right ventricular dysfunction should raise strong suspicion for PE and should not be dismissed as arrest-related stasis.

📖 Lau V, Blaszak M, Lam J, German M, Myslik F. *Point-of-Care Resuscitative Echocardiography Diagnosis of Intracardiac Thrombus during cardiac arrest (PREDICT Study): A retrospective, observational cohort study.* Resusc Plus. 2022.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35299826/

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