Point of care ultrasound for basic haemodynamic assessment: Novice compared with an expert operator

Abstract

Miniaturisation of ultrasound equipment has led to the development of hand-held echocardiography devices suitable for bedside evaluation of cardiac function. Basic assessment of the haemodynamic state can be performed using a limited transthoracic echocardiography examination. This study evaluated a third generation device (SonoSite Titan™) used by novice and expert operators. Limited transthoracic examination was performed on 30 healthy volunteers by an expert and a novice operator. The novice had performed 10 studies prior to data accrual. Agreement analysis was performed using weighted least products regression and Bland-Altman analysis. Acceptable results for the novice were achieved fol..