Hand-carried cardiac ultrasound enhances healthcare delivery in developing countries.
The availability of cardiac ultrasound is limited in developing countries. We evaluated the feasibility and diagnostic capability of a hand-carried cardiac ultrasound device in 126 patients (age 44 +/- 24 years) referred for consultation to a cardiology clinic in rural Mexico. The hand-carried cardiac ultrasound device identified 86 cardiac findings and obviated the need for further comprehensive echocardiographic evaluation in 90% of patients (113 of 126).
Division of Cardiology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
Sergio L
SL
Kobal
Steve S
SS
Lee
Richard
R
Willner
Francisco E
FE
Aguilar Vargas
Huai
H
Luo
Colin
C
Watanabe
Yoram
Y
Neuman
Takashi
T
Miyamoto
Robert J
RJ
Siegel
D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D003906:Developing Countries; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008493:Medical Missions; D008800:Mexico; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012424:Rural Population; D014838:Volunteers