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Utility of Echocardiogram in the Evaluation of Heart Murmurs

Padmanabhan Premkumar1

  • 1Department of Medicine, Hartford Hospital, 85 Seymour Street, Hartford, CT 06102, USA.

The Medical Clinics of North America
|August 21, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Echocardiograms are frequently used to assess valvular heart disease, despite clinical examination remaining the standard of care. This highlights a common diagnostic approach in cardiovascular medicine.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Valvular heart disease is prevalent in patients.
  • Accurate assessment of cardiac structures is vital for diagnosis and treatment.
  • Ultrasound technology has significantly advanced cardiovascular medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss the role of echocardiography in assessing valvular heart disease.
  • To highlight the frequent utilization of echocardiograms in cardiovascular indications.

Main Methods:

  • Review of the impact and availability of ultrasound technology in cardiovascular medicine.
  • Analysis of referral patterns for echocardiograms versus clinical examinations.

Main Results:

  • Echocardiography is a versatile and widely available imaging test for cardiovascular conditions.
  • Despite evidence supporting clinical examination as standard care, echocardiograms are frequently ordered.

Conclusions:

  • Echocardiography plays a significant role in the assessment of valvular heart disease.
  • There is a discrepancy between the recommended standard of care and current clinical practice regarding diagnostic imaging for valvular heart disease.

Keywords:
Cost-effective careEchocardiogramMurmurPrimary careValvular heart disease

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