No abstract

The British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) highlights the importance of patient questionnaires as part of the quality improvement process, To this end, we implemented a novel system whereby paired surveys were completed by patients and physiologists for transthoracic echocardiography scans, allowing for parallel comparison of the experiences of service providers and end users. Anonymised questionnaires were completed for each scan by the patient and physiologist for outpatient echocardiographic scans in a teaching hospital. In 26% of the responses, patient found the scans at least slightly painful, and in 24% of scans physiologists were in discomfort. The most common reason given by physiologists for technically difficult or inadequate scans was patient discomfort. In 38% of the scans at least one person (the patient or the physiologist) was in at least some discomfort. Comparative data showed that the scans reported as most painful by patients were also reported by the physiologists as difficult and uncomfortable. In summary, these results demonstrate the feasibility of implementing paired surveys. Patient information leaflets by the BSE and National Health Service (NHS) describe echocardiography as painless but the results here indicate this is not always the case.

prophylactic CRT implantation in patients with preserved LV was addressed in the BIOPACE trial, however these results were not formally published and controversy still exists about the type of device to implant in patients with near normal LV function. 3 Our study describes the variability in our clinical practice given the split in PPM vs CRT in patients with near normal LV function. The increased age and mortality trend in the PPM group may reflect an increased frailty or co-morbidity compared with the CRT group. However, long term clinical outcomes are required in order to provide clarity on this important clinical decision.