Pocket-sized focused cardiac ultrasound: strengths and limitations.
Focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) has emerged in recent years and has created new possibilities in the clinical assessment of patients both in and out of hospital. The increasing portability of echocardiographic devices, with some now only the size of a smartphone, has widened the spectrum of potential indications and users, from the senior cardiologist to the medical student. However, many issues still need to be addressed, especially the acknowledgment of the advantages and limitations of using such devices for FCU, and the extent of training required in this rapidly evolving field. In recent years, an increasing number of studies involving FCU have been published with variable results. This review outlines the evidence for the use of FCU with pocket-echo to address specific questions in daily clinical practice.
Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, hôpital Européen-Georges-Pompidou, 75015 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France; Inserm U970, Paris Cardiovascular Research Centre-PARCC, 75737 Paris Cedex 15, France. Electronic address: mariana.mirabel@inserm.fr.
Mariana
M
Mirabel
Sydney Medical School, Sydney, Australia.
David
D
Celermajer
Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA, USA; Clinique Pasteur, 31300 Toulouse, France.
Anne-Sophie
AS
Beraud
Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, hôpital Européen-Georges-Pompidou, 75015 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France; Inserm U970, Paris Cardiovascular Research Centre-PARCC, 75737 Paris Cedex 15, France.
Xavier
X
Jouven
Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, hôpital Européen-Georges-Pompidou, 75015 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France; Inserm U970, Paris Cardiovascular Research Centre-PARCC, 75737 Paris Cedex 15, France.
Eloi
E
Marijon
Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, hôpital Européen-Georges-Pompidou, 75015 Paris, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France; Inserm U970, Paris Cardiovascular Research Centre-PARCC, 75737 Paris Cedex 15, France.
Albert A
AA
Hagège
D004452:Echocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans
Echocardiography; Education; Emergency medicine; Focused cardiac ultrasound; Heart failure; Médecine d’urgence; Échocardiographie cardiaque; Échoscopie; Éducation