Introduction: Ultrasound is important in heart diagnostics, yet implementing effective cardiac ultrasound requires training. While current strategies incorporate digital learning and ultrasound simulators, the effectiveness of these simulators for learning remains uncertain. This study evaluates the effectiveness of simulator-based versus human-based training in Focused Assessed with Transthoracic Echocardiography (FATE).
Materials And Methods: This single-centre, prospective, randomised controlled study was conducted during an extracurricular FATE workshop (approximately 420 min) for third-year medical students. Participants were randomly assigned to the study group (training solely on simulators) or the control group (training on human subjects). Both groups completed a theory test and a self-assessment questionnaire before the course (T) and at the end of the training (T). At T, all participants also completed two Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) tests-one on the simulator (DOPS) and one on humans (DOPS).
Results: Data from 128 participants were analysed (n = 63 study group; n = 65 control group). Both groups exhibited increased competency between the T and T self-assessments and theory tests (p < 0.01). In the DOPS assessment at T, the control group performed significantly better (p < 0.001) than the study group. While motivation remained consistently high among both groups, the study group rated their "personal overall learning experience" and the "realistic nature of the training" significantly worse than the control group (p < 0.0001). Both groups supported the use of ultrasound simulators as a "supplement to human training" (study: 1.6 ± 1.1 vs. control: 1.7 ± 1.2; p = 0.38), but not as a "replacement for human training" (study: 5.0 ± 2.3 vs. control: 5.4 ± 2.1; p = 0.37).
Conclusion: Both simulator- and human-based training effectively developed theoretical and practical skills in FATE. However, the simulator group demonstrated significantly poorer performance when applying their skills to human subjects, indicating limitations in the transferability of this simulator-based training to real-life patient care. These limitations of simulator-based ultrasound training should be considered in future training concepts.
Clinical Trial Number: Not Applicable.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06564-y | DOI Listing |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11699650 | PMC |
Echocardiography
January 2025
Department of Cardiovascular Radiology and Endovascular Interventions, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Objective: Diastolic dysfunction (DD) is defined as impaired left ventricular (LV) relaxation, caused by structural or functional heart diseases. We sought to assess the role of cardiac CT angiography (CCTA) as a tool to evaluate LV DD in patients with normal EF using the diastolic expansion index (DEI), as compared to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) as the gold standard.
Methods: Patients presenting with atypical chest pain with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) and having a normal LV ejection fraction on TTE underwent CCTA using a dual source CT scanner.
JACC Adv
January 2025
HEART Lab, St Vincent's Institute of Medical Research, Fitzroy, Australia.
Background: In patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), small ventricular size has been associated with reduced functional capacity, but its impact on clinical outcomes is unclear.
Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between small heart size and premature mortality within a large multicenter adult patient cohort with transthoracic echocardiographic examinations.
Methods: We divided 366,484 individuals with LVEF ≥50% (including a subset of 279,442 individuals with high-normal LVEF ≥60%) by sex and increasing quartiles for LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), LVEDV indexed to body surface area (LVEDVi), and LV end-diastolic diameter to assess associations with 5-year mortality through linkage with the National Death Index.
BMC Med Educ
January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine I, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
Introduction: Ultrasound is important in heart diagnostics, yet implementing effective cardiac ultrasound requires training. While current strategies incorporate digital learning and ultrasound simulators, the effectiveness of these simulators for learning remains uncertain. This study evaluates the effectiveness of simulator-based versus human-based training in Focused Assessed with Transthoracic Echocardiography (FATE).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Cardiovasc Dis
December 2024
Service de cardiologie, hôpital Henri-Mondor, 94000 Créteil, France. Electronic address:
Background: Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction is associated with a significant reduction in morbimortality. The convergent procedure is a valid ablation option for the treatment of long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.
Aim: To describe the outcomes of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation who underwent the convergent procedure.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis
January 2025
Department of Neurology and Clinical Research Center of Neurological Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. Electronic address:
Objective: To comprehensively explore the prognostic significance of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3D STE) parameters in AIS and their role in distinguishing cardioembolic stroke.
Methods: 301 acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients were enrolled. TTE and 3D STE were employed to evaluate cardiac function and structure, also left atrial strain.
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