Congestive heart failure echocardiography
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.B.B.S. [2]
Overview
Echocardiography is commonly used to diagnose and monitor the progress of heart failure. This modality uses ultrasound to determine the stroke volume (SV, the amount of blood in the heart that exits the ventricles with each beat), the end-diastolic volume (EDV, the total amount of blood at the end of diastole), and the SV divided by the EDV, a value known as the ejection fraction (EF). In pediatrics, the shortening fraction is the preferred measure of systolic function.
Abnormalities Detected / Evaluated on Echocardiography in Congestive Heart Failure
Echocardiography can be used in the following ways:
- To evaluate left ventricular function and ejection fraction to distinguish systolic dysfunction with a low ejection fraction (<40%) from diastolic dysfunction with a preserved ejection fraction.
- To assess for the presence of regional wall motion abnormalities that would suggest an ischemic basis for the heart failure
- Detection and quantification of mitral regurgitation
- Detection and quantification oof aortic stenosis
- Measurement of pulmonary artery pressure
- Pericardial diseases such as cardiac tamponade can be rapidly diagnosed by echocardiography.
- Echocardiography may also aid in deciding what treatments will help the patient, such as medication, insertion of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator or cardiac resynchronization therapy.
ACC/AHA Guidelines- Echocardiography (DO NOT EDIT) [1][2]
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Class I1. Two-dimensional echocardiography with Doppler should be performed during initial evaluation of patients presenting with heart failure to assess left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular size, wall thickness, and valve function. Radionuclide ventriculography can be performed to assess left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes. (Level of Evidence: C) |
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ACC/AHA Guidelines- Serial Clinical Assessment (DO NOT EDIT) [1][2]
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Class IIa1. Repeat measurement of ejection fraction and the severity of structural remodeling can provide useful information in patients with heart failur who have had a change in clinical status or who have experienced or recovered from a clinical event or received treatment that might have had a significant effect on cardiac function. (Level of Evidence: C) |
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Vote on and Suggest Revisions to the Current Guidelines
Guidelines Resources
- The ACC/AHA 2005 Guideline Update for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in the Adult [1]
- 2009 focused update: ACCF/AHA Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Heart Failure in Adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines: developed in collaboration with the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation [2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hunt SA, Abraham WT, Chin MH, Feldman AM, Francis GS, Ganiats TG, Jessup M, Konstam MA, Mancini DM, Michl K, Oates JA, Rahko PS, Silver MA, Stevenson LW, Yancy CW, Antman EM, Smith SC Jr, Adams CD, Anderson JL, Faxon DP, Fuster V, Halperin JL, Hiratzka LF, Jacobs AK, Nishimura R, Ornato JP, Page RL, Riegel B; American College of Cardiology; American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines; American College of Chest Physicians; International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation; Heart Rhythm Society. ACC/AHA 2005 Guideline Update for the Diagnosis and Management of Chronic Heart Failure in the Adult: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Update the 2001 Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Heart Failure): developed in collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: endorsed by the Heart Rhythm Society. Circulation. 2005 Sep 20; 112(12): e154-235. Epub 2005 Sep 13. PMID 16160202
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jessup M, Abraham WT, Casey DE, Feldman AM, Francis GS, Ganiats TG et al. (2009) 2009 focused update: ACCF/AHA Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Heart Failure in Adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines: developed in collaboration with the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Circulation 119 (14):1977-2016. DOI:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.192064 PMID: 19324967