[Quality control of echocardiographic examination in a central hospital]

The purpose of this consecutive retrospective study of echocardiographic descriptions and matching case reports was to examine the number of echocardiographic examinations and their consequences for the treatment of the patients. This study was performed in a district hospital in Svendborg, Denmark, during the period from 1.12.93 to 31.03.94 (n = 195). We found that more women than men in the over 69 age group were examined with echocardiographic examination whereas fewer women than men were examined in the 59-69 year-old age group. In 48% of the cases, the actual clinical suspicion was verified by echocardiography; in 40% the echocardiography did not show anything abnormal and in 12% a different diagnosis was found. The echocardiographic examination had a consequence for 29% of the patients regardless the actual clinical suspicion. The frequency of a consequence was the same for the expected and the unexpected finding by echocardiography. Conclusively, this massive rise in the number of performed echocardiographies (n = 51 in 1983; n = 595 in 1993) cannot be reduced by being more restrictive in performing echocardiography for any single clinical suspicion, because all indications for performing echocardiography seem to have equal therapeutic consequences.