[Usefulness of hand-held echocardiography in emergency room].
OBJECTIVE
Handheld echocardiography may be a powerful diagnostic tool in the emergency room. However, its usefulness in this environment when it is performed by medical personnel with a basic training in echocardiography remains to be clarified.


METHODS
A cardiologist with expertise in echocardiography and a cardiology fellow with basic training evaluated 33 patients admitted in emergency using a handheld device.


RESULTS
The echocardiogram led to a change in the diagnosis and treatment in 27% and 46% of patients, respectively, allowing an early discharge in 49% of cases. The agreement between the two observers was acceptable.


CONCLUSIONS
Portable echocardiography is a useful tool in emergency rooms and may be reliably performed by medical personnel with basic training in echocardiography.
Leta
Rubén
R
Servicio de Cardiología. Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. Barcelona. España. rleta@hsp.santpau.es
Carreras
Francesc
F
Borrás
Xavier
X
Planas
Francesc
F
Pujadas
Sandra
S
Pons-Lladó
Guillem
G
D002983:Clinical Competence; D004452:Echocardiography; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results