Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Hemodynamic Precision in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit using Targeted Neonatal Echocardiography
Published on: January 27, 2023
Hand-held echocardiography with Doppler capability for the assessment of critically-ill patients: is it reliable?
Philippe Vignon1, Mickaël B J Frank, Jérôme Lesage
1Service de Réanimation Polyvalente, CHU Dupuytren, 2 Ave. Martin Luther King, 87042 Limoges Cedex, France. vignon@unilim.fr
Objective:
To evaluate the diagnostic capability of a hand-carried ultrasound device (HCU) in critically ill patients when using conventional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) as a reference.
Design:
Prospective, descriptive study.
Setting:
Medical-surgical intensive care unit of a teaching hospital.
Patients:
All patients requiring a TTE study were eligible.
Interventions:
Each patient underwent an echocardiographic examination using a full-feature echocardiographic platform (Sonos 5500, Philips Medical Systems, Andover, MA) and a small battery-operated device (SonoHeart Elite, SonoSite, Bothell, WA). The operators (level III training in echocardiography) were randomized (HCU vs. TTE) and they independently interpreted the echocardiograms at the patient bedside.
Results:
During a 2-month period, 55 consecutive patients (age: 61+/-16 years, simplified acute physiology score 46+/-15, body mass index 26+/-7) were studied, 40 of them being mechanically ventilated (73%). The number of acoustic windows was comparable using HCU and TTE (2.3+/-0.8 vs. 2.4+/-0.8: P=0.24). The overall diagnostic accuracy of HCU was lower compared with conventional TTE (137/171 vs. 158/171 clinical questions solved: P=0.002), reaching 80% and 92%, respectively. Despite its spectral Doppler capability, HCU missed diagnoses that were adequately identified by TTE: elevated left ventricular pressure ( n=2), relevant valvulopathy ( n=2) and moderate ( n=4) or severe ( n=2) pulmonary hypertension. Acute management was altered by HCU and TTE findings in 27 patients (49%) and 28 patients (51%), respectively.
Conclusions:
In this study, HCU had a lower diagnostic accuracy compared with conventional TTE, despite its spectral Doppler capability. Further studies are needed to validate these evolving diagnostic tools in critical care settings.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System I:Echocardiography
Indications: Echocardiography is utilized to diagnose heart failure, valve disorders, and myocardial infarction. It also assesses cardiac structures' size, shape, and motion, evaluates...
Assessing Blood pressure using a doppler ultrasound
Pre-Procedural Guidelines for Doppler Ultrasound Blood Pressure Assessment:
Preparation of Equipment:
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System II:Types of Echocardiography
Types of Echocardiography
Transthoracic Echocardiography (TTE)
TTE is the most common type of echocardiogram which involves placing a transducer on the patient's chest, emitting sound waves to create heart images. TTE is invaluable for evaluating the heart's size, structure, and motion, making it particularly useful for diagnosing...
Equipments Used To Measure Blood Pressure
This invasive approach involves cannulating a peripheral artery. During each cardiac contraction, pressure generates mechanical motion within the catheter, transmitted through rigid, fluid-filled tubing to a transducer. This transducer converts mechanical motion into electrical signals displayed as waveforms on a monitor. An automatic flushing system prevents blood backflow. Due to the potential risk of unexpected arterial blood loss, this method is primarily used in intensive...
Pulse rhythm
Conversely, an irregular pulse pattern is termed dysrhythmia, stemming from disruptions in cardiac muscle...
Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
