Focus cardiac ultrasound: the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging viewpoint

Abstract

The concept of point-of-care, problem-oriented focus cardiac ultrasound examination (FoCUS) is increasingly applied in the settings of medical emergencies, including cardiac diseases. The European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) recognizes that cardiologists are not the only medical professionals dealing with cardiovascular emergencies. In reality, emergency cardiac diagnostics and treatment are also carried out by a wide range of specialists. For the benefit of the patients, the EACVI encourages any medical professional, sufficiently trained to obtain valuable information from FoCUS, to use it in emergency settings. These medical professionals need to have the necessary knowledge to understand the obtained information entirely, and to use it correctly, thoughtfully and with care. In this document, the EACVI underlines major differences between echocardiography and FoCUS, and underscores the need for specific education and training in order to fully utilize advantages and minimize drawbacks of this type of cardiac ultrasound examination in the critically ill patients.

Echocardioscopy in Cardiovascular Stratification of Chronic Kidney Diseases: The Nephrologist is the Protagonist

“…L'ASE, inoltre, ha definito "Focus Cardiac Ultrasound" (FCU) l'esame eseguito dal medico specialista non cardiologo mirato alla valutazione del sistema cardiovascolare rappresentato da uno stretto elenco di potenziali diagnosi in ambienti clinici specifici (10). Anche l'European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) ha recentemente riconosciuto che i cardiologi non devono essere gli unici medici in grado di eseguire un FCU particolarmente in condizioni cliniche tipiche di pertinenza specialistica (11). In tal senso e a beneficio del paziente, l'EACVI incoraggia qualsiasi medico sufficientemente addestrato a ricavare una preziosa informazione diagnostica nel proprio contesto specialistico.…”

Focused Ultrasound In The Emergency Department For Patients With Acute Heart Failure

“…49,50 Importantly, focused cardiac ultrasound does not replace formal ECG; 5 instead, focused bedside ultrasound aids in the diagnosis and management of many conditions, including AHF.…”

“…Importantly, pointof-care cardiac ultrasound does not replace formal echocardiography (ECG). 4,5 As the training requirements for focused ultrasound are beyond the scope of this review, readers should refer elsewhere.…”

Echocardiography Today – Croatian Challenges.

“…Poseban izazov ehokardiografskoj stručnoj zajednici predstavlja održavanje primjerene kvalitete pretrage u eksponencijalno rastućim (opravdanim i neopravdanim) potrebama za ehokardiografskim pregledom 9 . U svrhu pružanja usluge u medicinski prihvatljivom vremenu, a s ciljem pružanja najbolje kardiološke skrbi i izbjegavanja ozbiljne zdravstvene štete za bolesnika, potrebno je poštovati medicinske prioritete.…”

“…An additional challenge for the echocardiographic society is maintaining appropriate examination quality in the face of exponential growth of the (justified and unjustified) demand for echocardiographic examinations 9 . Medical priorities must be considered in order to perform services in an acceptable timeframe with the goal of providing the best cardiologic care and avoiding serious health issues for the patients.…”