Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 15, 2025

Echocardiographic Assessment Using Subxiphoid-Only Examination for Hypotensive Patients
Published on: April 18, 2025
[Less is more in cardiology and angiology]
1Klinik für Kardiologie und Pneumologie, Herzzentrum Göttingen, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Göttingen, Deutschland.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular medicine is one of the most resource-consuming parts of the healthcare system and many examples of overdiagnostic and overtreatment can be found. The present article presents just three of these, one from cardiology and two from vascular medicine. The topic of chronic coronary heart disease concerns the unequivocal proof of ischemia before a coronary intervention. The sections on Duplex sonography of the cervical blood vessels and the diagnostics of thrombophilia describe which valid clinical problems may justify the performance of these examinations at all. The potential for harm caused by overdiagnostics in both cases lies not only in the unnecessary use of resources but, more importantly, in the subsequent overtreatment. The few appropriate indications are described in detail.
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