[Who should perform echocardiograms?]

This question falls into two parts: 1. Should echocardiography be reserved to cardiologists? We believe that only physicians with extensive training in cardiology and echocardiography are able to derive maximum information from echocardiograms. 2. Should echocardiography be performed by technicians, under the control and responsibility of well-trained physicians? This practice prevails in the majority of big centers in the United States. However, a study performed among the members of the Swiss Working Group of Echocardiography shows that this is rarely the case in Switzerland (14/145 = 10%). This situation has several reasons: most Swiss cardiologists think that echocardiography should be reserved to themselves, that their annual number of studies is not sufficient to warrant a technician, and/or that they are unable to find trained technicians. Experience of physicians used to working with technicians is however very positive. A prospective study reported here shows that the percentage of mistaken recordings or interpretations is low. Cooperation with well-trained technicians allows good-quality work, saves the physicians' time, facilitates research projects and contributes to the training of future cardiologists in echocardiography.