Diagnostic utility of handheld ultrasonography as an extension of the physical examination of patients with heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
Conventional echocardiography is the technique of choice for assessing left ventricular function and the presence of structural heart disease in patients with heart failure. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic performance of handheld ultrasonography performed by a medical internist on patients with a clinical diagnosis of heart failure.


METHODS
Cross-sectional observational study of 212 patients diagnosed with heart failure in a hospital center. A medical internist with basic training in echocardiography performed an examination using handheld ultrasonography and semiquantitatively assessed several variables. The patients' left ventricular systolic function was assessed, along with the cavity dimensions, significant valvular heart disease, pericardial effusion and the diameter of the inferior vena cava.


RESULTS
The examination using handheld ultrasonography was conducted in less than 6minutes. The agreement between the diagnoses of the medical internist and the expert echocardiographist was very good (k>0.81) for the diameter, hypertrophy and left ventricular systolic function, valvular regurgitation, pericardial effusion and diameter of the inferior vena cava.


CONCLUSIONS
Handheld echocardiography performed by a medical internist, as an extension of the physical examination of patients with heart failure, is a valid and safe test that helps increase the diagnostic performance.
Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Medicina Interna, Hospital Torrecárdenas, Almería, España. Electronic address: serafinejido@hotmail.com.
S
S
López-Palmero
Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Cardiología, Hospital Torrecárdenas, Almería, España.
N
N
Bolivar-Herrera
Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Medicina Interna, Hospital Torrecárdenas, Almería, España.
G
G
López-Lloret
Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Cardiología, Hospital Torrecárdenas, Almería, España.
G
G
Merchán-Ortega
Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Cardiología, Hospital Torrecárdenas, Almería, España.
J J
JJ
Macancela-Quiñones
Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Medicina Interna, Hospital Torrecárdenas, Almería, España.
G
G
López-Martínez
Ecógrafo de bolsillo; Handheld ultrasound; Heart failure; Insuficiencia cardiaca; Left ventricle; Ventrículo izquierdo