Portable echocardiography – importance and usefulness

Abstract

In recent years, several compact, lightweight,
fully functional devices have appeared allowing
real-time echocardiography. These hand-held
devices may be useful in different situations and
be part of a complete physical examination at
the bedside, as well as the stethoscope has been
since its introduction by Laennec.
Portable ultrasound stethoscopes are small
computers that have integrated 2 dimensional
control settings and a colour power Doppler
fl ow mapping. They enable a physician to have
an assessment of cardiac morphology, global
and regional left ventricle function, performing
immediate diagnosis and giving treatment algorithms. The main advantage is to address in
loco a specifi c question raised by the assistant physician.
Its use in emergency departments, on wards,
and in outpatient settings contributes to a further improvement in patient care, giving a new
dimension to the relationship doctor/patient. It
will permit to the assistant physician to refer a
patient to a specifi c specialist more rapidly.
The application of these devices obliges non-cardiologists to get some training in the context
of echocardiology, specially focused in the use
of effi cient, less expensive, hand-held systems,
which can rapidly reach different patients settings. Through the implementation of portable
echocardiography in health care institutions
waiting periods for cardiac examinations will
become shorter, with a signifi cantly improvement in costs reduction and quality management.