Assessment of left ventricular function by GPs using pocket-sized ultrasound

Mjølstad, Ole Christian; Snare, Sten Roar; Folkvord, L.; Helland, Frode; Grimsmo, Anders; Torp, Hans; Haraldseth, Olav; Haugen, Bjørn Olav

doi:10.1093/fampra/cms009

Cited by 38 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…General practitioners were able to obtain standard views and measure septal mitral annular excursion in 87% of patients. Measurements made by general practitioners correlated well with those obtained by cardiologists [30].…”

Section: Hospital Wards and Clinicssupporting

confidence: 55%

Point-of-Care Cardiac Ultrasound: Feasibility of Performance by Noncardiologists

Nelson

Sanghvi

2013

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Cardiac ultrasound has been used for decades to assess a wide variety of structural and functional pathology, as well as to monitor response to therapy. It offers the advantages of noninvasive, real-time dynamic functional assessment without the risk of radiation. Cardiologists have traditionally employed this modality and have established robust guidelines on the use of echocardiography. However, other specialties such as emergency medicine and critical care have realized the benefit of cardiac ultrasound and have established specialty guidelines in its use. There is growing evidence for the benefit of cardiac ultrasound at the point of care on hospital wards, clinics, and even pre-hospital environments as well. The pervasive use of focused ultrasound is perhaps most evident in the advent of ultrasound training in undergraduate medical curricula. This paper reviews some of the key literature on the use of focused, point-of-care ultrasound by noncardiologists. Feasibility, clinical utility, and emerging trends are reviewed.

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Section: Hospital Wards and Clinicssupporting

confidence: 55%

Point-of-Care Cardiac Ultrasound: Feasibility of Performance by Noncardiologists

Nelson

Sanghvi

2013

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“…12,70 Most included articles were more than 10 years old, and with advances in technology, the results reported longer than a decade ago may not be applicable today. 27,52 Furthermore, there were 2 chronologic periods of interest: one in the 1980s and 1990s, regarding mainly obstetric ultrasound examinations,* and one more recent describing POCUS with portable ultrasound technology. † A large number of articles reported results with only a single or a few general practitioners using ultrasonography.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Point-of-Care Ultrasound in General Practice: A Systematic Review

et al. 2019

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PURPOSE Ultrasound examinations are currently being implemented in general practice. This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the training in and use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) by general practitioners. METHODSWe followed the Cochrane guidelines for conduct and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for reporting. We searched the databases MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials using the key words ultrasonography and general practice in combination and using thesaurus terms. Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies using an established checklist. RESULTSWe included in our review a total of 51 full-text articles. POCUS was applied for a variety of purposes, with the majority of scans focused on abdominal and obstetric indications. The length of training programs varied from 2 to 320 hours. Competence in some types of focused ultrasound scans could be attained with only few hours of training. Focused POCUS scans were reported to have a higher diagnostic accuracy and be associated with less harm than more comprehensive scans or screening scans. The included studies were of a low quality, however, mainly because of issues with design and reporting.CONCLUSIONS POCUS has the potential to be an important tool for the general practitioner and may possibly reduce health care costs. Future research should aim to assess the quality of ultrasound scans in broader groups of general practitioners, further explore how these clinicians should be trained, and evaluate the clinical course of patients who undergo scanning by general practitioners.Annals Journal Club selection; see inside back cover or http://www.Ann FamMed.org/AJC/.To read or post commentaries in response to this article, see it online at http://www.AnnFamMed.org/content/17/1/61.

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“…Rather it should be seen as a valuable adjunct to both, rapidly improving diagnostic precision and aiding in the selection of the patients most likely to benefit from formal echocardiography or other imaging modalities. 8,[11][12][13][14]16,36,37 Users of pocket-size imaging devices should undergo a dedicated training program, as the diagnostic influence of ultrasound examinations is related to the skill of the user. 38…”

Section: Many Of the Diagnostic Corrections Presented Inmentioning

confidence: 99%