Emergency medicine applications of echocardiography.
Echocardiography represents an important, accessible tool in the evaluation of the critically ill emergency department patient. Echocardiography provides anatomic and physiologic information about the cardiovascular system safely and at the bedside. This modality may permit early and more accurate diagnosis and management of a wide range of disease processes while avoiding the risks and costs associated with other diagnostic strategies. It is imperative that emergency department physicians have a working understanding of the applications and limitations of echocardiography to make best use of its considerable patient care potential.
Wellford
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Department of Internal Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center at San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, USA.
Snoey
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ER
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011379:Prognosis