Tag Archives: patient risk

This focus on echocardiography is to be welcomed. But who is to perform these additional echocardiograms and what sort of studies will be performed? The standard adult transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) has stood the test of time. When performed by appropriately trained individuals, e.g. those holding BSE Accreditation,1 it can reliably describe and quantitate left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, structure and function of all four valves, basic prosthetic valve function, common congenital abnormalities and cardiomyopathies, and the presence and significance of pericardial fluid. Importantly, it can provide an answer to the two mo