Pocket-sized echocardiograph

Pocket-sized echocardiograph

A pocket-sized echocardiograph is available to aid bedside diagnosis. The device is ACUSON P10™ ultrasound system which weighs only 725 grams. It provides fundamental and harmonic 2D images and has a USB port for information sharing. The specifications are available at the Siemens website. A study from Japan by Shota Fukuda, Kenei Shimada, Toshihiro Kawasaki, Hiromi Fujimoto, Kumiko Maeda, Hitoshi Inanami, Ken Yoshida, Satoshi Jissho, Haruyuki Taguchi, Minoru Yoshiyama and Junichi Yoshikawa [1] assessed the feasibility and accuracy of using this device in the assessment of cardiac chamber size and function compared to standard transthoracic echocardiography. They studied 125 unselected patients and found that echocardiographic measurements were completed in all patients (100% feasibility) with pTTE (pocket-sized portable transthoracic echocardiography) and sTTE (standard transthoracic echocardiography). Left ventricular dimensions, fractional shortening, interventricular septal and posterior wall thickness, left atrial and aortic dimensions obtained by pTTE showed excellent correlation with sTTE.

Another device {Vscan (GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee, WI)} was evaluated by Ryoko Kitada, Shota Fukuda, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Hiroki Oe, Yukio Abe, Minoru Yoshiyama, Jong-Min Song, Marta Sitges, Takahiro Shiota, Hiroshi Ito, Junichi Yoshikawa [2]. They had 200 patients and came up with similar conclusions.

Reference

  1. Shota Fukuda, Kenei Shimada, Toshihiro Kawasaki, Hiromi Fujimoto, Kumiko Maeda, Hitoshi Inanami, Ken Yoshida, Satoshi Jissho, Haruyuki Taguchi, Minoru Yoshiyama, Junichi Yoshikawa. Pocket-sized transthoracic echocardiography device for the measurement of cardiac chamber size and function. Circ J. 2009 Jun;73(6):1092-6.
  2. Ryoko Kitada, Shota Fukuda, Hiroyuki Watanabe, Hiroki Oe, Yukio Abe, Minoru Yoshiyama, Jong-Min Song, Marta Sitges, Takahiro Shiota, Hiroshi Ito, Junichi Yoshikawa. Diagnostic accuracy and cost-effectiveness of a pocket-sized transthoracic echocardiographic imaging device. Clin Cardiol. 2013 Oct;36(10):603-10.