1.
Am J Cardiol
; 95(10): 1271-2, 2005 May 15.
Artículo
en Inglés
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15878012
RESUMEN
Recognizing left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction is critical. The investigators sought to evaluate whether nurses could be trained to use a hand-carried ultrasound (HCU) device to screen for LV systolic dysfunction in high-risk patients. Sixty-three patients from an outpatient diabetes clinic underwent brief echocardiographic examinations by nurses using HCU devices. Of the 63 patients enrolled in the study, 3 (4.7%) had LV systolic dysfunction. The nurses correctly identified these 3 patients as having LV systolic dysfunction (sensitivity 100%, negative predictive value 100%). The identification of occult LV systolic dysfunction in diabetic patients may allow the initiation of therapies known to improve prognosis.