Role of echocardiography in acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

Echocardiography is a valuable tool in diagnosing acute coronary syndrome in patients presenting with chest pain in the emergency department. After acute myocardial infarction (MI), echocardiography provides substantial information regarding risk stratification, hemodynamic assessment, detection of mechanical complications related to acute MI, and long-term prognosis. It also helps in guiding therapy in patients after MI. However, it provides limited value in less than 10% of patients because of poor image quality. Contrast agent can and should be used to improve the accuracy of echocardiographic assessment.

Isolated right ventricular infarction: a diagnostic challenge

“…Non-ischaemic causes of sudden-onset dyspnoea such as pulmonary embolism, cardiac tamponade, pneumothorax, acute pulmonary oedema, airway obstruction and pneumonia with atelectasis, were then excluded by physical examination and angio-CT. However, in a patient in shock, with cardiovascular risk factors, previous cardiovascular events and basal ST–T changes, it is necessary to exclude coronary artery disease, and echocardiography may be crucial 7. In fact, transthoracic Doppler echocardiography has a vital role in the diagnosis of isolated RV infarction, assessment of LV ischaemia and exclusion of other diagnoses 8.…”

Tricuspid annular motion in right coronary artery-related acute inferior myocardial infarction with or without right ventricular involvement

“…During recent years, echocardiography has made major advancement in the diagnosis of patients with right ventricular infarction (13). Echocardiography is also useful as a modality to rule out pericardial tamponade, which is the major differential diagnosis in the setting of right ventricular infarction.…”

“…Echocardiography is also useful as a modality to rule out pericardial tamponade, which is the major differential diagnosis in the setting of right ventricular infarction. Classically right ventricular dilatation, abnormal right ventricular wall motion, paradoxical motion of the interventricular septum and tricuspid regurgitation are echocardiographic features of RVMI (13,14). Echocardiography has 82% sensitivity and 93% specificity in detecting RVMI when right ventricular scintigraphy is used as the comparative standard (14).…”

Myocardial Infarction in Children

“…The increasing experience with echocardiography [echo] in recent decades has greatly facilitated the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction [AMI], as echo is an inexpensive, readily available, ambulatory, non-invasive method [24]. Echo is useful, not only in the diagnosis of AMI but also in prognosis, the monitoring of complications and in follow-up.…”

“…Myocardial Infarction in Children http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.74793 the emergency departments [25]. It has also been shown in studies of adults that a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] and left ventricle volume loading are significant risk factors for morbidity and mortality [24].…”