Echocardiography is an important investigation in HF management, helping diagnosis of type, extent and cause, and guiding therapy. Its availability in hospitals is resource limited. Longer waiting times can result in delayed management decisions and longer hospital stay. Point of care HHE was introduced at Austin Hospital for heart failure management, with the hypothesis that expedited HHE would reduce length of hospital stay. Methodology: All HF patient from two general medical wards referred for echocardiography over 6 months (1/09/ 2019-29/02/2020) were studied, comparing cardiology department transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) with bedside HHE by HF Fellow. Statistics: Chi Square was used for dichotomous comparison and Student "t" test with 95% confidence for normal data. p,0.05 was considered significant. Results: TTE group had 79 patients and HHE 55 patients, with age distribution 83.7+/-7.8 and 77.5+/-5.5 respectively; females 65% and 49% respectively (p=0.074). 96% of HHE were performed within 24 hrs of request. Conclusion: Access to early HHE results in shorter HF hospital stay Delay in echocardiography appears to be the principle reason for longer hospital stay
She taught medical and biological sciences at various universities in Australia, the United States, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Pakistan, and Brunei. During this period, she was also engaged in research supported by local and international grants (total of over 2.3 million USD) and translating it into products such as a rapid diagnostic test for stroke and other vascular disorders such as schizophrenia. She published over 60 articles in refereed journals, edited 4 books, wrote 7 book chapters, presented at over 75 international conferences, and mentored 34 postgraduate students.
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