Emergency echocardiography telemedicine: An efficient method to provide 24-hour consultative echocardiography

摘要: Abstract Objectives. This study sought to assess the clinical utility of interpreting emergency echocardiograms after regular working hours through a telemedicine connection on-call cardiologists. Background. Physician interpretation is often delayed during weekends, evenings or night hours. delay places undue responsibility on less qualified personnel interpret vital importance. Methods. Digital quad-screen cine-loop format was transmitted over standard telephone lines. Clinical data and conventional interpretations were collected prospectively for 187 emergent kemiemergent tele-echocardiograms Results. Indications echocardiogram included assessment left ventricular function, ischemia, pericardial effusion, valvular disease, heart donor status arrhythmia. Three off-site echocardiographers received spectral, gray-scale color flow Doppler images in using laptop computer. Laptop showed 19 technically limited studies, 153 abnormal studies 54% with wall motion abnormalities. Overall mean agreement rate between workstation performed blinded manner serious disorders classic echocardiographic findings (pulmonary hypertension, thrombus, aortic dissection, severe insufficiency large effusion) 99.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 96% 99%). For abnormalities, 96.3% CI 92% The following times elapsed completion echocardiogram: fax report, 2.14 h (range 10 min 8 h); dictation videotape, 11.74 (p Conclusions. After-hours echocardiography tele-medecine computer more rapid than scheduled from videotape workstation, yet diagnostic accuracy comparable.