Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Feb 2011
Transthoracic echocardiographic assessment of continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices.
An increasing number of patients are implanted with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) for the treatment of severe congestive heart failure. In parallel with this growing experience has been an increase in knowledge of how these devices alter cardiac physiology and the important implications this has for cardiac function. Echocardiography offers the ability to provide serial noninvasive evaluation before and after LVAD implantation to document these changes, guide management decisions, and identify LVAD dysfunction. The authors detail a comprehensive assessment of LVAD function by transthoracic echocardiography.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Jan 2011
ReviewTranscatheter aortic valve implantation in aortic stenosis: the role of echocardiography.
Aortic stenosis is becoming an increasing health care problem as the population ages. Surgical aortic valve replacement remains the gold standard but is associated with high mortality and morbidity rates in elderly patients and those with multiple comorbidities. The authors explore transcatheter aortic valve implantation as an attractive alternative therapy in this high-risk population and outline its limitations and future directions, with a special emphasis on the role of echocardiography.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Dec 2010
Focused cardiac ultrasound in the emergent setting: a consensus statement of the American Society of Echocardiography and American College of Emergency Physicians.
The use of ultrasound has developed over the last 50 years into an indispensable first-line test for the cardiac evaluation of symptomatic patients. The technologic miniaturization and improvement in transducer technology, as well as the implementation of educational curriculum changes in residency training programs and specialty practice, have facilitated the integration of focused cardiac ultrasound into practice by specialties such as emergency medicine. In the emergency department, focused cardiac ultrasound has become a fundamental tool to expedite the diagnostic evaluation of the patient at the bedside and to initiate emergent treatment and triage decisions by the emergency physician.