title: Assess the clinical applicability of transthoracic echocardiography in laparotomy patients in a general intensive care unit.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Echocardiography is one of the diagnostic tools that can be applied at the bedside, along with avoiding transporting critically ill patients. This prospective observational study was designed to assess the clinical applicability of the transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) device by noncardiologist intensivists.
  
  
  METHODS
  Intensivists performed a limited TTE examination on critically ill patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU). After initial cardiac clinical assessment in 85 critically ill adult patients, a limited TTE was performed by an intensivist to assess left ventricular (LV) function and LV volume status as well as valvular function and qualitative factors. Data were analyzed and presented in proportions using descriptive statistics. The setting was in surgical ICU of an academic medical center.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Valvular abnormalities (44.8%) as well as qualitative indices (68.3%) were the most frequently detected abnormalities. The ejection fraction was the only alteration, which was affected by the risk factors (P = 0.05, mean = 55.57).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transthoracic approach can provide useful information on cardiac anatomy and function in most ICU patients along with detecting severe previously unknown conditions in some patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Saeed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abbasi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Kamran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fazel
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Morteza Abdar
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Esfahani
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Parviz
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kashefi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Samaneh Alami
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Harandi
keywords: Echocardiography; intensive care unit; transthoracic
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