Handheld Echocardiography Saves the Brain: A Serendipitously Found Left Ventricular Thrombus

Handheld echocardiography (HHE) is an emerging technology with potential to alter routine clinical practice. Our institution has adopted the use of HHE devices for both teaching and patient care. However, the appropriate clinical scope of HHE continues to be controversial, and the literature is larg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cardiovascular echography 2015-04, Vol.25 (2), p.54-56
Main Authors: Narichania, Aalap D., Shamoun, Fadi E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case Report
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Summary:Handheld echocardiography (HHE) is an emerging technology with potential to alter routine clinical practice. Our institution has adopted the use of HHE devices for both teaching and patient care. However, the appropriate clinical scope of HHE continues to be controversial, and the literature is largely devoid of prognosis-altering applications. We report the diagnosis of left ventricular (LV) thrombus with HHE. A 75-year-old man presented with a large anteroapical ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI). Initial transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) after percutaneous intervention showed no LV thrombus. Before his hospital discharge, HHE was performed and showed LV thrombus. The finding substantially changed the patient's treatment and prognosis; he was discharged with warfarin. This observation will help guide further inquiry into the proper clinical role of HHE.
ISSN:2211-4122
2347-193X
DOI:10.4103/2211-4122.161780