Left ventricle-focused echocardiography quick, cost-effective
A group of California researchers believes a limited transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) that solely evaluates the left ventricle could be more efficient and cost-effective in certain patients compared to whole echocardiography.
In 2006, a limited transthoracic left ventricle echocardiogram (LV-TTE) option was added to the electronic order at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. The new imaging method cost $60, while full TTE was $240.
A full echocardiogram averaged 37 minutes, delivering 66 images. LV-TTE took an average of 12 minutes and produced 16 images, reported lead author Alexander T. Sandhu, MD, and colleagues in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The fraction of total TTEs that were LV-TTEs jumped from .8 percent in 2005 to 19.5 percent between 2011 and 2015, according to the authors.
“Less resource-intensive diagnostics can increase or decrease resource use, depending on whether they are used for patients who would not have been tested or as a substitute for more comprehensive testing,” Sandhu and colleagues wrote. “Our results suggest that the LV-TTE was substituted in place of a full TTE.”
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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.