A Way to Predict an Imminent Cardiac Arrest on Abdominal CT Scan: About a Case

Abstract

Imaging of a patient undergoing cardiac arrest is not common but the abnormal hemodynamics due to the pump failure have characteristic imaging features on CT-scan. The main imaging features include stasis and pooling of blood in the dependent organs of the body, the inferior vena cava, the right renal vein, the right hepatic vein and the right hepatic parenchyma. Knowledge of these signs is essential in order to start resuscitating the patient and can have important survival implications. We report the contrast-enhanced CT-scan features of the case of a critically-ill patient having imminent cardiac arrest few minutes after the examination.