Home    中文  
 
  • Search
  • lucene Search
  • Citation
  • Fig/Tab
  • Adv Search
Just Accepted  |  Current Issue  |  Archive  |  Featured Articles  |  Most Read  |  Most Download  |  Most Cited

Chinese Journal of Medical Ultrasound (Electronic Edition) ›› 2016, Vol. 13 ›› Issue (06): 471-475. doi: 10.3877/cma.j.issn.1672-6448.2016.06.014

Special Issue:

• Thoracic Ultrasound • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Focused echocardiography on patients with chest pain or dyspnea using a pocket size device in Emergency Department

Xin Quan1, Yan Sun1, Hui Li1, Jianpeng Wang1, Hao Wang1,()   

  1. 1. Department of Echocardiography, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100037, China
  • Received:2015-12-07 Online:2016-06-01 Published:2016-06-01
  • Contact: Hao Wang
  • About author:
    Corresponding author: Wang Hao, Email:

Abstract:

Objective

To study the clinical usefulness of pocket size echocardiography for a cardiac focused ultrasonography in evaluating patients complaining chest pain or dyspnea in Emergency Department.

Methods

Two hundred and seventy-one patients in Emergency Department of Fuwai Hospital were enrolled into this study from January to October in 2014. Patients underwent transthoratic echocardiography with a protocol focusing on the cardiac chamber diameters, left ventricular systolic function, regional wall motion abnormalities, pericardium and ascending aorta using GE Vscan and reconfirmed by GE Vivid i immediately. The results from difference diagnostic tools were compared with Chi Square test. Independent t test was applied to compare the consuming time differences from GE Vscan and GE Vivid i, from junior and senior echocardiographers respectively.

Results

It was possible to obtain good-quality images using pocket size echocardiography device in all patients. Regional wall motion abnormalities were found in 91 patients; left ventricular systolic dysfunction was discovered in 37 patients; 3 patients were with pericardial effusion; and 14 patients were found with ascending aorta dissection. Neither left ventricular systolic dysfunction nor regional wall motion abnormalities were found in the remaining individuals. One case of regional wall motion abnormalities and a case of left ventricular systolic dysfunction were missed by GE Vscan. However, no significant difference was observed between Vscan and Vivid i (χ2=0.03, P>0.05). The scanning time for each patient was 1-5 minutes and there was no significant time difference between Vscan and Vivid i (t=-1.478, P>0.05). Senior echocardiographers took less time for exams than junior doctors [(2.6±1.4) min vs (3.5±1.8) min, t=-2.41, P<0.05].

Conclusions

The pocket size ultrasound equipment was able to obtain reliable information of important cardiovascular structures, function and hemodynamics from patients complaining chest pain or dyspnea. Focused echocardiography for these undiagnosed patients admitted to Emergency Department allows a quick and accurate diagnosis, avoiding missed diagnosis, may have the potential to improve in-hospital diagnostic procedures.

Key words: Echocardiography, Chest dyspnea, Chest pain

Copyright © Chinese Journal of Medical Ultrasound (Electronic Edition), All Rights Reserved.
Tel: 010-51322630、2632、2628 Fax: 010-51322630 E-mail: csbjb@cma.org.cn
Powered by Beijing Magtech Co. Ltd