Case series: CT scan in cardiac arrest and imminent cardiogenic shock

Imaging a patient having a cardiac arrest on the examination table is not a common occurrence. Altered hemodynamics resulting from pump failure causes stasis of blood in the dependent organs of the body, which is manifested on imaging by dependent contrast pooling and layering. Often a patient with imminent cardiogenic shock also shows a similar dependent contrast pooling and layering, which is a marker of the worsening clinical condition. We report the contrast-enhanced CT scan features in four cases, two of whom had cardiac arrest during imaging, while the other two developed cardiogenic shock soon after the examination. Dependent contrast pooling and layering were found in all of them, with faint or no opacification of the left cardiac chambers. Contrast pooling was noted in the dependent lumbar veins, hepatic veins, hepatic parenchyma, and the right renal vein, as well as in the dependent part of the IVC and the right heart chambers.