Emergency Medicine Applications of Echocardiography

A brief training module improves recognition of echocardiographic wall-motion abnormalities by emergency medicine physicians

Objective. Wall-motion abnormality on echocardiogram is more sensitive in detecting cardiac ischemia than the electrocardiogram, but the use of bedside echocardiography by emergency physicians (EPs) for this purpose does not appear to be widespread, apparently due to limited data on proficiency of EPs for this task. We sought to determine the effect of a brief training module on the ability of EPs to recognize wall motion abnormalities on echocardiograms. Methods. We developed a brief training and testing module and presented it to EPs. After baseline testing of 15 echocardiograms, we presented the 30-minute training module, and administered a new test of 15 different echocardiograms. Physicians were asked to interpret the wall motion as normal or abnormal. Results. 35 EPs over two separate sessions showed significant improvement recognition of wall-motion abnormalities after the brief training module. Median score on the baseline test was 67%, interquartile range (IQR) 53% to 80%, while the median score on the posttraining test was 87%, IQR 80% to 87%, P < .001, independent of time in practice or prior training. Conclusion. With only brief training on how to recognize wall motion abnormalities on echocardiograms, EPs showed significant improvement in ability to identify wall motion abnormalities.

Cardiac ultrasound

The use of echocardiography in the ED is well established and continues to gain widespread use in the evaluation of critically ill patients. In certain circumstances such as chest trauma, pericardial effusion, and cardiac arrest,EPs can perform and interpret echocardiographic examinations reliably. In other circumstances such as the diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes, PE,and endocarditis, the EP should be aware of the uses and limitations of echocardiography and obtain appropriate consultation when necessary.Academic- and community-based EPs should seek to incorporate further the use of echocardiography in their respective clinical practices, with special attention given to training and quality assurance. As EPs continue to improve their skills in cardiac ultrasound, their ability to diagnose a wider spectrum of cardiac diseases undoubtedly will grow proportionally.

Echocardiography in thoracic trauma

The availability of bedside ultrasonography can dramatically impact the care of patients with cardiac or aortic injuries. A focused, limited echocardiographic examination in the initial evaluation of victims with thoracic injuries can provide vital information the clinician needs to expedite the management of these patients. This article reviews the current use of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in patients with thoracic trauma.