Incremental Value of Pocket-Sized Echocardiography in Addition to Physical Examination during Inpatient Cardiology Evaluation: A Multicenter Italian Study (SIEC).

Background: We prospectively assessed the incremental value of a pocket-sized echocardiography (PSE) device during cardiology consultations, in addition to physical examination, ECG reading, and chest x-ray.

Methods: A total of 443 consecutive patients (53% men), referred for bedside consultations, underwent physical examination, ECG, and CXR, followed by PSE examination. The physician completed a detailed questionnaire (clinical and echocardiographic data, scanning time, abnormal results).

A rare case of isolated left ventricular non-compaction. Importance of image technology and disease awareness for a correct diagnosis.

In 1999 a 50-year-old man with sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia came to our institution for investigation using fundamental echocardiographic imaging. A diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with dilatation and apical thrombus was made. In 2003, a new echocardiographic machine equipped with second harmonic imaging modality became available and after a second investigation the diagnosis was changed to isolated left ventricular non-compaction.

Prediction of mortality in patients with right bundle branch block referred for pharmacologic stress echocardiography.

Right bundle branch block (RBBB) is independently associated with all-cause mortality in patients referred for noninvasive evaluation of coronary artery disease. However, further stratification of risk in these patients has not been specifically addressed. The aim of this study was to risk stratify patients with RBBB who were referred for stress echocardiography.

Prognostic implications of intraventricular conduction defects in patients undergoing stress echocardiography for suspected coronary artery disease.

Purpose: To investigate the prognostic implications of conduction defects in subjects without proven coronary artery disease who had been referred for stress echocardiography.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 1230 patients (574 men and 656 women; mean [+/- SD] age, 63 +/- 10 years) who underwent stress echocardiography with dipyridamole (n = 780) or dobutamine (n = 450) to evaluate suspected coronary artery disease. A summary wall motion score (on a 1 to 4 scale) was calculated.

Reduced Left Ventricular Contractile Reserve Identified by Low Dose Dobutamine Echocardiography as an Early Marker of Cardiac Involvement in Asymptomatic Patients with Thalassemia Major.

Patients with beta thalassemia major present with severe anemia and need continuous transfusion therapy. The consequent iron overload leads to hemochromatosis. Initial cardiac involvement can be present in thalassemic patients without clinical manifestations of heart failure.