Abstract
To the Editor:
Accurate assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) forms a routine part of daily echocardiographic practice. Currently, there is sufficient evidence to support the notion that assessment of LVEF by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) should be considered the method of choice in routine practice. Nevertheless, implementation of RT3DE is still limited. There may be issues with, for example, work flow and training of sonographers. At our center, we have used a stepwise approach, aiming at the implementation of routine application of RT3DE for assessment of LVEF.
First, space was generated in the daily work flow of the echocardiography laboratory. Specific echocardiographic protocols were developed on the basis of several documents developed by the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Echocardiography, each one describing the required acquisitions for a specific indication. In the first 6 months after the introduction of these protocols, the mean number of images per echocardiographic study decreased significantly. The time needed for acquisition and analysis of a real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic data set for LVEF assessment takes (on average) <3 min. This time became available by decreasing the number of two-dimensional images.
Second, [...]
Accurate assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) forms a routine part of daily echocardiographic practice. Currently, there is sufficient evidence to support the notion that assessment of LVEF by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT3DE) should be considered the method of choice in routine practice. Nevertheless, implementation of RT3DE is still limited. There may be issues with, for example, work flow and training of sonographers. At our center, we have used a stepwise approach, aiming at the implementation of routine application of RT3DE for assessment of LVEF.
First, space was generated in the daily work flow of the echocardiography laboratory. Specific echocardiographic protocols were developed on the basis of several documents developed by the American Society of Echocardiography and the European Association of Echocardiography, each one describing the required acquisitions for a specific indication. In the first 6 months after the introduction of these protocols, the mean number of images per echocardiographic study decreased significantly. The time needed for acquisition and analysis of a real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic data set for LVEF assessment takes (on average) <3 min. This time became available by decreasing the number of two-dimensional images.
Second, [...]
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 932 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Early online date | 6 Jul 2017 |
| DOIs |
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| Publication status | Published - Sept 2017 |
| Externally published | Yes |