Targeted neonatal echocardiography (TnECHO) service in a Canadian neonatal intensive care unit: a 4-year experience.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the effect of a targeted neonatal echocardiography (TnECHO) program on decision making in a tertiary level unit.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of neonates, admitted between September 2007 and April 2011. Details of the TnECHO, and the clinical decisions within 6 h of the consultation were recorded.

RESULT: A total of 199 infants underwent 512 echocardiograms with a median (interquartile range) of 2 (1 to 3) TnECHO studies per infant. The indications included assessment for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA; n=261, 51%), post-PDA ligation assessment (n=101, 19%), pulmonary hemodynamics (n=81, 16%), myocardial performance and systemic blood flow (n=52, 10%), and central venous catheter tip position (n=6, 1%). TnECHO consultation was followed by a change in clinical management in 212 cases (41%) and avoidance of a planned intervention in 112 cases (22%).

CONCLUSION: TnECHO may be a useful tool to guide clinical decisions in the neonatal intensive care unit setting. Well-planned prospective studies are needed to assess the impact of TnECHO on outcomes.