Limited cardiac ultrasound examination for cost-effective echocardiographic referral.

Background: Although a standard echocardiogram is frequently requested and requires significant resources, few data exist on methods to improve referral for this examination. Therefore, we sought to determine the diagnostic value of a limited echocardiographic examination and to predict the cost-effectiveness of a limited imaging strategy on echocardiographic referral.

Methods: A limited echocardiographic examination was reviewed for abnormalities and compared with standard echocardiographic findings.