[Portable ultrasound devices. A new era for clinical cardiologists]

Recent advances in ultrasound technology have led to the development of fully portable ultrasound machines for point-of-care cardiac examination. Limited comparative studies indicate that these devices are more accurate than physical examination in identifying cardiac abnormalities. Though their diagnostic performance is generally inferior to standard echocardiography, there appears to be good concordance at least for some conditions. However, it must be emphasized that reported results were obtained with cardiologists or sonographers trained and experienced in performing and interpreting echocardiography. The potential role of these devices in cardiac care will depend on their impact on patient management, compatibility with individual practice, their cost, and further technical developments. Operator training in performance and interpretation of examinations obtained using these ultrasound devices seems to be vitally important.