The clinical arena in which we must consider the role of echocardiography is characterized by 2 fundamental findings: (1) most patients with chest pain and suspected acute myocardial infarction (MI) do not present diagnostic electrocardiograms; and (2) an early and correct diagnosis is necessary to match the patient with the most adequate treatment. Echocardiography may be very useful in the coronary care unit, allowing a correct diagnosis of ischemic heart disease when electrocardiography is unclear, even before the rise of cardiac enzymes is detected. It may also play a role in decision-making for thrombolytic therapy. In addition, echocardiography provides useful information for early risk stratification. In fact, although high-risk patients are well identified by simple clinical or instrumental variables (i.e., Killip classification, enzymatic data, blood-gas analysis, electrocardiogram, etc.), most patients (>60%) are identified as low risk, and several subjects classified into the low-risk groups have a poor prognosis and are not detected using a single variable. In our experience, 2-dimensional echocardiography was able to further stratify between patients of low-risk classes. Therefore, echocardiography plays an important role in the early stratification of acute MI patients, especially in those without signs or symptoms of heart failure.

Echocardiography in the coronary care unit: Diagnostic and prognostic impact in comparison with clinical and other indicators / Romano, S; Varveri, A; Aurigemma, A; Dagianti, Alessandra; Vitarelli, Antonino; Sciomer, Susanna; Pastore, Lr; Penco, M; Dagianti, Armando. - In: THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY. - ISSN 0002-9149. - STAMPA. - 81(12A):(1998), pp. 13G-16G. [10.1016/S0002-9149(98)00047-2]

Echocardiography in the coronary care unit: Diagnostic and prognostic impact in comparison with clinical and other indicators

DAGIANTI, Alessandra;VITARELLI, Antonino;SCIOMER, Susanna;DAGIANTI, Armando
1998

Abstract

The clinical arena in which we must consider the role of echocardiography is characterized by 2 fundamental findings: (1) most patients with chest pain and suspected acute myocardial infarction (MI) do not present diagnostic electrocardiograms; and (2) an early and correct diagnosis is necessary to match the patient with the most adequate treatment. Echocardiography may be very useful in the coronary care unit, allowing a correct diagnosis of ischemic heart disease when electrocardiography is unclear, even before the rise of cardiac enzymes is detected. It may also play a role in decision-making for thrombolytic therapy. In addition, echocardiography provides useful information for early risk stratification. In fact, although high-risk patients are well identified by simple clinical or instrumental variables (i.e., Killip classification, enzymatic data, blood-gas analysis, electrocardiogram, etc.), most patients (>60%) are identified as low risk, and several subjects classified into the low-risk groups have a poor prognosis and are not detected using a single variable. In our experience, 2-dimensional echocardiography was able to further stratify between patients of low-risk classes. Therefore, echocardiography plays an important role in the early stratification of acute MI patients, especially in those without signs or symptoms of heart failure.
1998
acute myocardial infarction; echocardiography; coronary care unit
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Echocardiography in the coronary care unit: Diagnostic and prognostic impact in comparison with clinical and other indicators / Romano, S; Varveri, A; Aurigemma, A; Dagianti, Alessandra; Vitarelli, Antonino; Sciomer, Susanna; Pastore, Lr; Penco, M; Dagianti, Armando. - In: THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CARDIOLOGY. - ISSN 0002-9149. - STAMPA. - 81(12A):(1998), pp. 13G-16G. [10.1016/S0002-9149(98)00047-2]
File allegati a questo prodotto
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/245071
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 0
  • Scopus 7
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 6
social impact