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Echocardiography in the Risk Assessment of Acute Pulmonary Embolism.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Dahhan, T; Alenezi, F; Samad, Z; Rajagopal, S
Published in: Semin Respir Crit Care Med
February 2017

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and is classified as massive (high risk), submassive (intermediate risk), or nonmassive (low risk) based on the hemodynamic status and clinical characteristics of the patient. At this time, the management of patients with submassive PE remains controversial and approaches for improving risk assessment are critical. In this review, we discuss several echocardiographic methods to assess right heart function that may aid in the risk assessment of patients with acute PE. They range from qualitative assessments of right ventricular (RV) function, such as subjective RV function and McConnell sign, to more recently developed quantitative parameters of RV function, such as tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, RV/left ventricular ratio, and RV global and free wall longitudinal strain. Because of their reproducibility and objective nature, quantitative RV echocardiographic assessments have been gaining importance in the assessment of acute PE. Current limitations to the use of echocardiography for risk assessment in acute PE are the lack of normative values for RV parameters, the absence of standardization of measurements across different ultrasound platforms, and the heterogeneity of the performance of echocardiographic examinations and reports across centers.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Semin Respir Crit Care Med

DOI

EISSN

1098-9048

Publication Date

February 2017

Volume

38

Issue

1

Start / End Page

18 / 28

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Ventricular Function, Right
  • Ventricular Function, Left
  • Risk Assessment
  • Respiratory System
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Pulmonary Embolism
  • Humans
  • Heart Function Tests
  • Echocardiography
  • Acute Disease
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Dahhan, T., Alenezi, F., Samad, Z., & Rajagopal, S. (2017). Echocardiography in the Risk Assessment of Acute Pulmonary Embolism. Semin Respir Crit Care Med, 38(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1597563
Dahhan, Talal, Fawaz Alenezi, Zainab Samad, and Sudarshan Rajagopal. “Echocardiography in the Risk Assessment of Acute Pulmonary Embolism.Semin Respir Crit Care Med 38, no. 1 (February 2017): 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1597563.
Dahhan T, Alenezi F, Samad Z, Rajagopal S. Echocardiography in the Risk Assessment of Acute Pulmonary Embolism. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2017 Feb;38(1):18–28.
Dahhan, Talal, et al. “Echocardiography in the Risk Assessment of Acute Pulmonary Embolism.Semin Respir Crit Care Med, vol. 38, no. 1, Feb. 2017, pp. 18–28. Pubmed, doi:10.1055/s-0036-1597563.
Dahhan T, Alenezi F, Samad Z, Rajagopal S. Echocardiography in the Risk Assessment of Acute Pulmonary Embolism. Semin Respir Crit Care Med. 2017 Feb;38(1):18–28.
Journal cover image

Published In

Semin Respir Crit Care Med

DOI

EISSN

1098-9048

Publication Date

February 2017

Volume

38

Issue

1

Start / End Page

18 / 28

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Ventricular Function, Right
  • Ventricular Function, Left
  • Risk Assessment
  • Respiratory System
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Pulmonary Embolism
  • Humans
  • Heart Function Tests
  • Echocardiography
  • Acute Disease