title: Hand-carried cardiac ultrasound as a tool to screen for important cardiovascular disease in an underserved minority health care clinic.
abstract: The disparity in cardiovascular outcomes among racial and social strata may be, in part, because of delayed detection of cardiovascular disease in minority patients. The low cost and portability of hand-carried cardiac ultrasound devices may make screening of underserved patients for cardiac disease feasible. A general internist evaluated 153 patients at a clinic serving an underserved population with a hand-carried cardiac ultrasound device. A total of 27 cases of significant valvular heart disease or ventricular dysfunction were detected in 19 patients (12.4%). Detection of a major cardiac abnormality could not be predicted by cardiac risk factors, age, or chief symptom, whereas patients presenting for new or acute clinic visits were more likely to have an abnormality. The low cost and portability of hand-carried cardiac ultrasound devices may make them important tools for the early detection of cardiovascular disease in minority and underserved populations and, thereby, help to reduce disparities in cardiovascular outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Section of Cardiology and General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
authors.forename: James N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Kirkpatrick
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Jeanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Decara
authors.forename: Anne E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Patricia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Kurtz
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Balasia
authors.forename: Kirk T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Spencer
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000208:ethnology; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D011320:Primary Health Care; D019037:Urban Health Services; D018754:Ventricular Dysfunction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000208:ethnology