Rare Case of a Giant Left Atrium With Cerebrovascular Accident.

Left atrium enlargement is very common in patients with valvular heart disease and atrial fibrillation but an extremely dilated left atrium is a very rare condition and rarely reported in the literature. It is a risk factor for ischemic cerebrovascular accidents due to blood stasis as the cavity diameter increases. We are reporting a case of rarely seen severely dilated left atrium with a normal functioning prosthetic mechanical mitral valve with a cerebrovascular accident on anti-vitamin K and aspirin.

Three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography for cardiac output in critically ill patients: A pilot study of ultrasound versus the thermodilution method.

Background: Three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography (3D-TOE) is a new noninvasive tool for quantitative assessment of left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction.

Aim: The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of 3D-TOE for the estimation of cardiac output (CO), using transpulmonary thermodilution with the Pulse index Contour Continuous Cardiac Output (PiCCO) system as the reference method, in intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Methods: Fifteen ICU patients on mechanical ventilation prospectively underwent PiCCO catheter implantation and 3D-TOE.

Pretest probability of a normal echocardiography: validation of a simple and practical algorithm for routine use.

Background: Management of increased referrals for transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) examinations is a challenge. Patients with normal TTE examinations take less time to explore than those with heart abnormalities. A reliable method for assessing pretest probability of a normal TTE may optimize management of requests.