Assessing Amyloid Infiltration of the Heart Using Echocardiography

Cardiac Amyloidosis (CA) is a progressive and often underdiagnosed disorder. This condition is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, primarily due to heart failure and arrhythmias. CA can be classified into two main types: light chain (AL) amyloidosis and transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis. AL amyloidosis is associated with plasma cell dyscrasias, whereas ATTR amyloidosis can be...

Reporting for Echocardiography (updated)

SOME HELPFUL HINTS AND REFERENCES Basics Always record the patient’s height, weight and blood pressure Comment on technical quality List the clinical indications  Use of language: Language is important in echocardiography. The terminology we use is specific and descriptive but must also be professional and concise. The use of standard terminology across the echo world...

So you’ve been told you have a heart murmur

You've just been to your doctor, during the appointment they listened to your heart with a stethoscope. A few hmms and then they tell you, "I think I hear a murmur, nothing to worry about, but we should get it checked out". They refer you for an echo and then that's it. Appointment over. Off...

Echo in the time of Covid-19: Volume 2

Background Recent reports out of Wuhan, China are highlighting the cardiovascular risks for patients with confirmed SARS-CoV2 infection (1). These risks are due to action of the virus on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) a vital cardiovascular enzyme that is expressed in the heart and the lungs. SARS-CoV2 has been shown to bind to this enzyme allowing...

Echo in the time of Covid-19 – updated

Hi all So there has been some extensive discussion in the echo community about how to actually perform an echo during this pandemic. Many of us are still scanning patients who are "asymptomatic". But we know that symptoms often don't become apparent for approximately 5 days post exposure and that during this time you can...