Echocardiography in the emergency department.
In the busy emergency department, time-effective and accurate diagnostic and prognostic evaluation is essential Although clinical examination remains the mainstay of appropriate evaluation, remaining diagnostic uncertainty may need to be resolved by use of additional techniques. Echocardiography appears very well suited to the unique environment in the emergency department. It is portable to the patient's bedside, can be performed in minimal time, and results are immediately available. This facilitates correct triage and disposition of complicated cases. Small, hand-carried echocardiography systems have been developed with full imaging and Doppler capabilities. Thus, availability of echocardiography is increasing. Because both image acquisition and interpretation are operator-dependent, realization of full diagnostic potential requires extensive training and post-training experience to maintain proficiency.
Van Dantzig
J M
JM
Department of Cardiology, Catharaine Ziekenhuis, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
D004452:Echocardiography; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D007022:Hypotension / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy