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Cardiac ultrasound
Teriggi J Ciccone1, Shamai A Grossman
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency Program, One Deaconess Road, West Campus Clinical Center 2, Boston, MA 02115, USA. tciccone@bidmc.harvard.edu
Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America
|August 11, 2004
Summary
Emergency physicians (EPs) can reliably use echocardiography for critically ill patients in specific situations like cardiac arrest. Further training will expand their diagnostic capabilities for various cardiac conditions.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Echocardiography is increasingly utilized in emergency departments (EDs) for critically ill patients.
- Emergency physicians (EPs) demonstrate proficiency in echocardiography for specific conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the established and emerging roles of echocardiography in emergency medicine.
- To guide EPs on the appropriate use and limitations of echocardiography in diagnosing cardiac conditions.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature and clinical practices regarding echocardiography in the ED.
- Discussion of specific clinical scenarios where EPs can perform and interpret echocardiograms.
Main Results:
- EPs reliably perform and interpret echocardiography in cases of chest trauma, pericardial effusion, and cardiac arrest.
- Awareness of echocardiography's uses and limitations is crucial for diagnosing acute coronary syndromes, pulmonary embolism, and endocarditis, necessitating consultation when needed.
Conclusions:
- EPs should integrate echocardiography further into their practices, emphasizing training and quality assurance.
- Enhanced echocardiography skills will proportionally increase EPs' capacity to diagnose a broader range of cardiac diseases.