Point-of-care echocardiography for aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism and acute coronary syndrome in patients with killer chest pain: EASY screening focused on the assessment of effusion, aorta, ventricular size and shape and ventricular asynergy.

Focus assessed transthoracic echocardiography and focused cardiac ultrasound are point-of-care echo protocols for the evaluation of cardiac disease in the emergency room; however, these protocols may not adequately assess aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, and acute coronary syndrome in patients with killer chest pain. Here, I present an echocardiography protocol focused on screening for these critical cardiovascular diseases. This protocol (termed EASY screening) consists of the assessment of effusion in the pericardial space, aortic abnormalities, the size and shape of the ventricles and asynergy of the left ventricle. Aortic dissection is suggested by positive findings for effusion and/or abnormal aortic findings. Pulmonary embolism is suggested by a dilated right ventricle and a D-shaped left ventricle in the short-axis view. Acute coronary syndrome is suggested by asynergy of left ventricular wall motion. EASY screening may facilitate the assessment of aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism and acute coronary syndrome in patients presenting to the emergency room with killer chest pain.

The Speckle Tracking Imaging for the Assessment of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (START) study.

BACKGROUND: We sought to identify the feasibility of speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) to predict cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) responders in a prospective multicenter study. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients who were newly implanted with a CRT device were enrolled. Time (T) from QRS to maximum peak radial and circumferential strain (CS) in 6 segments on the left ventricular (LV) short-axis plane, and to the maximum peak of longitudinal strain in 18 segments on 3 apical LV planes was measured (Tmax). In segments with multiple peaks on the time-strain curves, time to the first peak (Tfirst) was also assessed. Difference in T between the earliest and latest segment and standard deviation (SD) of T in each strain component were assessed. CRT responders were defined as having LV end-systolic volume reduction >15% at 6 months after CRT. Clinical outcomes were assessed with a composite endpoint of death from cardiac causes or unplanned hospitalization for heart failure. Among 180 patients, 109 patients were identified as responders. Tfirst-SD of CS >116 ms was selected as the best independent predictor of CRT responders (P<0.001, hazard ratio=9.83, 95% confidence interval 3.78-25.6). In addition, Tfirst-SD of CS was associated with the clinical endpoints. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective multicenter study revealed the high feasibility of dyssynchrony assessment by STE, which may improve the ability to predict CRT responders.