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Screening for left ventricular dysfunction using a hand-carried cardiac ultrasound device
Eleni C Vourvouri1, Arend F L Schinkel, Jos R T C Roelandt
1Department of Cardiology, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Hand-carried cardiac ultrasound (HCU) reliably screens for left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. This cardiac ultrasound device accurately detects LV ejection fraction and IVC collapse, proving useful in primary care settings.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Primary Care Diagnostics
Background:
- Hand-carried cardiac ultrasound (HCU) devices represent a novel imaging technology.
- Potential utility of HCU in primary care settings for cardiac assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate the screening capability of HCU for left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.
- Assess LV ejection fraction (LVEF) and inferior vena cava (IVC) collapse using HCU.
- Compare HCU findings with standard echocardiography (SE) and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP).
Main Methods:
- Eighty-eight patients with suspected LV dysfunction were enrolled.
- HCU-LVEF was visually estimated; SE-LVEF used Simpson's method.
- LV dysfunction defined as LVEF <40%; abnormal IVC collapse <50%; elevated BNP > or =15 pmol/l.
Main Results:
- 19 out of 82 patients (23%) had LV dysfunction.
- HCU and BNP identified 17 and 18 patients with LV dysfunction, respectively.
- Agreement between SE and HCU for LVEF and IVC collapse was 96%; HCU-LVEF sensitivity was 89%.
Conclusions:
- HCU devices demonstrate reliable performance as a screening tool for LV dysfunction.
- HCU shows high sensitivity in detecting LV dysfunction, comparable to BNP.
- The findings support the use of HCU in primary care for cardiac screening.
Background:
The hand-carried cardiac ultrasound (HCU) device is a recently introduced imaging device, which may be potentially useful in the primary care setting.
Aim:
To test the screening potential of a HCU for the detection of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction by evaluating LV ejection fraction (LVEF) and inferior vena cava (IVC) collapse. Standard echocardiographic system (SE) and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) measurements were used as a reference.
Methods:
Eighty-eight consecutive patients (56 male, aged 59+/-12 years) with suspected LV dysfunction were enrolled in the study. The HCU-LVEF was visually estimated and the SE-LVEF was derived by the Simpson's biplane method. A LVEF <40% represented LV dysfunction. An IVC collapse of <50% and BNP levels > or =15 pmol/l were considered abnormal. The correlation of HCU-LVEF, HCU-IVC and BNP to the SE-LVEF and SE-IVC was analysed independently using 2x2 tables.
Results:
Six patients were excluded because of poor echo images. 19/82 patients had LV dysfunction. The HCU and BNP could identify 17 and 18 out of these 19 patients, respectively. The agreement for LVEF and IVC collapse between SE and HCU was 96% for both parameters. The sensitivity of IVC collapse, HCU-LVEF and BNP in identifying patients with LV dysfunction was 26, 89 and 94%, respectively.
Conclusion:
A HCU device can reliably be used as a screening tool for LV dysfunction.
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