Appropriate echocardiography

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common inherited cardiac condition with potential for severe complications including sudden cardiac death. Early diagnosis allows appropriate risk stratification and prompt intervention to minimise the potential for adverse outcomes. The implications of poorly coordinated screening are significant, either missing relatives at high-risk or burdening low-risk individuals with a diagnosis associated with reduced life expectancy. We aim to guide clinicians through the diagnostic pathway through to novel treatment options...

A 60-year-old male patient presented with ischemic-embolic stroke. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed the cause to be aortic valve endocarditis with highly eccentric aortic valve regurgitation. The blood cultures taken several times remained sterile. The indication for surgical aortic valve replacement was made. Conventional microbiological work-up of the heart valve did not reveal any pathogens. The additional molecular genetic testing using eubacterial PCR ("polymerase chain reaction" [PCR]) finally demonstrated the presence of Tropheryma whipplei...

BACKGROUND: Syphilis, owing to its natural course, can lead to long-term damage to the aortic valve, such as insufficiency and rarely stenosis, ostial coronary stenosis, and syphilitic aortitis. Cardiovascular involvement alongside neurological involvement dominates the prognosis. This should no longer be seen, thanks to awareness and prevention programmes, medical treatment, and antibiotics. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of a 54-year-old chronic smoker with no previous history, admitted for respiratory distress amid an impaired general condition...

BACKGROUND & AIM: Echocardiography education involves the teaching and assessment of multiple competencies to ensure work-ready graduates. To connect these competency standards to professional practice, it is important that the industry expectation around specific entrustable professional activities (EPAs) is determined. In Australia, echocardiography examinations are eligible for Medicare reimbursement when performed by sonographers listed on the Australian Sonographers Accreditation Registry (ASAR), either as an Accredited Medical Sonographer or as an Accredited Student Sonographer...

BACKGROUND: Over the past two decades, several studies have been conducted that have tried to answer questions on management of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Updated international clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have endorsed the findings of these studies. The aim of this document was to adapt recommendations of existing guidelines to help internists make decisions about specific and complex scenarios related to AHF. METHODS: The adaptation procedure was to identify firstly unresolved clinical problems in patients with AHF in accordance with the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes) process, then conduct a critical assessment of existing CPGs and choose recommendations that are most applicable to these specific scenarios...

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a common congenital heart disease. However, consensus on the utility of echocardiography in predicting spontaneous closure (SC) of VSD remains lacking. This study aimed to identify and validate significant predictors of SC through a predictive scoring system. This retrospective study included medical records of 712 echocardiography instances performed on 304 patients diagnosed with VSD from 2016 to 2020 in their first year of life. A novel scoring system for predicting the SC of VSD was developed and validated using another dataset from different hospitals...

BACKGROUND: Many canine cardiac diseases are associated with left atrial (LA) remodeling and decreased function. For accurate assessment of LA indices, large-scale and prospectively determined reference intervals are necessary. OBJECTIVES: To generate reference intervals of LA size and function using two-dimensional and three-dimensional echocardiography. ANIMALS: Two hundred and one healthy adult dogs. METHODS: Left atrial volume was assessed in right parasternal long-axis, left apical 4-chamber and 2-chamber views using monoplane Simpson's method, two-dimensional and three-dimensional speckle tracking...

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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant preventable and treatable clinical disorder defined by a persistent, typically progressive airflow obstruction. This disease has a significant negative impact on mortality and morbidity worldwide. However, the complex interaction between the heart and lungs is usually underestimated, necessitating more attention to improve clinical outcomes and prognosis. Indeed, COPD significantly impacts ventricular function, right and left chamber architecture, tricuspid valve functionality, and pulmonary blood vessels...

BACKGROUND: Due to the influence of anatomical structure, replacing the bicuspid valve using transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) would increase the risk of perivalvular leakage and conduction block, affecting the hemodynamic effect of the interventional valve. In this study, for bicuspid and tricuspid valves, we implemented different valve selection strategies to explore the safety and effectiveness of TAVR in the treatment of bicuspid aortic stenosis with "down-size" interventional valves using the VenusA-valve system...

A right heart tumor can be identified by transthoracic echocardiography during a routine examination or due to cardiac symptoms. The first step is the assessment by echocardiography, with its multiple techniques, and the obtained information must be judged in a clinical and biological context. The second step comprises one, sometimes even two, of the more complex modality imaging methods. The choice is driven not only by the advantages of each imaging technique but also by local expertise or the preferred imaging modality in the center...

Background Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for echocardiography are a useful tool to deliver quality healthcare. Our quality-based interventional study was designed to assess the trends in appropriate utilization rates for echocardiography in our institution and improve adherence to the AUC criteria for transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE). Methodology A prospective, time series analysis was conducted at the Upstate University Hospital for the months of July 2019 and August 2020. A chart analysis was performed on 620 consecutive inpatients who underwent TTE for the month of July 2019...

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. Future estimations suggest an increase in global burden of AF greater than 60% by 2050. Numerous studies provide growing evidence that AF is not only associated with stroke but also with cognitive impairment and dementia. AIM: The main goal is to assess the impact of the combined use of cardiac rhythm monitoring devices, echocardiography, biomarkers and neuroimaging on the early diagnosis of AF, silent strokes and cognitive decline, in subjects at high risk of AF...

BACKGROUND: Cardiac morphology and function, which are conventionally evaluated by echocardiography, are often abnormal in decompensated cirrhosis. We aimed to evaluate the association of echocardiography-related parameters with prognosis in cirrhosis. METHODS: This retrospective study included 104 decompensated cirrhotic patients, in whom cardiac structure and function were measured by echocardiography, including mitral inflow early diastolic velocity/mitral inflow late diastolic velocity (E/A), left atrium diameter, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, interventricular septal thickness, left ventricular posterior wall thickness, right atrial transverse diameter, right atrial longitudinal diameter, right ventricular dimension (RVD), stroke volume, cardiac output, left ventricular ejection fraction, and fractional shortening...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Common to adult electrophysiology studies (EPS), intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) use in pediatric and congenital heart disease (CHD) EPS is limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of ICE use and incidence of associated complications in pediatric and CHD EPS. METHODS: This single-center retrospective matched cohort study reviewed EPS between 2013 and 2022. Demographics, CHD type, and EPS data were collected. ICE cases were matched 1:1 to no ICE controls to assess differences in complications, ablation success, fluoroscopy exposure, procedure duration, and arrhythmia recurrence...

BACKGROUND: Myxoma is a common type of primary cardiac tumor. However, there are few researches to illustrate challenge of safely inducing anesthesia in a patient with a giant right atrial myxoma at moderate altitude. PATIENT CONCERNS AND DIAGNOSES: A 54-year-old female patient lived in a city with an average altitude of 1932 m with scheduled surgical treatment for giant right atrial myxoma, prompting discussions on appropriate anesthesia modalities given her prolonged residence at moderate altitude...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to study myocardial functions of infants appropriate and large for gestational age (IDM-AGA, IDM-LGA) of diabetic mothers (IDM) and AGA and LGA infants of non-diabetic mothers comparatively. METHODS: Newborns were assessed between 24 and 72 h. M-Mode, pulsed wave, and tissue Doppler echocardiography were performed. RESULTS: A negative correlation was found between shortening fraction and maternal weight at delivery in the LGA group (p=0...

BACKGROUND: The relevance of septic cardiomyopathy is frequently underestimated due to the complexity of the pattern of cardiac injury and the corresponding difficulties in quantifying the degree of functional impairment. AIM: Account of the methods for diagnosis and severity classification of septic cardiomyopathy. METHODS: Literature review and analysis of the main findings. RESULTS: Septic cardiomyopathy is characterized by both systolic and diastolic impairment of not only the left, but also the right ventricle, as well as by sinus-tachycardiomyopathy (≥ 90-95 beats/min) of variable degree...

BACKGROUND: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a potentially life-threatening pregnancy-related condition characterized by left ventricular dysfunction and heart failure, typically occurring in the peripartum period. Individuals with a history of preeclampsia and hypertension are particularly prone to developing PPCM. Recent research suggests that the condition may be triggered by vascular dysfunction influenced by maternal hormones in the late stages of gestation. The onset of left heart failure results in decreased cardiac output, leading to insufficient perfusion, which in turn, contributes to pulmonary edema and exacerbates tissue hypoxia...

BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a major cause of cardiovascular mortality, which is the leading cause of death in the world. Our objective in this study was to evaluate the epidemiological, clinical, and angiographic features of right ventricular infarction (RVI), as well as its complications and its therapeutic approaches. PATIENTS AND METHODS: It is a single-centered retrospective descriptive study conducted over a period of 2 years from November 2018 to October 2020...