Advanced Cardiac Point-of-Care Ultrasound A Systematic Review of Select Cardiac Diseases

Focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) may not reveal severe pathology but is rarely "normal." With appropriate training and credentials, FoCUS practitioners can apply advanced techniques to confirm suspicions of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, valve disease, or tamponade, identified by 2D-ultrasound imaging. As technology narrows the gap between handheld devices and full-sized echocardiography machines, FoCUS will only be limited by the scope of clinical question and practitioners' skills. FoCUS, however advanced, cannot replace formal echocardiography.