IVC

Abdominal Ultrasound for Echocardiographers: Part 1

How often have you found yourself “in over your head” in the abdomen when trying to image the IVC and abdominal aorta? Is imaging the abdominal aorta part of your echo protocol?  It is not uncommon for a patient to receive an abdominal ultrasound because the echo findings mentioned the presence of gallstones, abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), or some other abnormality.

Hepatic Veins & Right Heart Abnormalities

In Hepatic Veins 101, we discussed the structure, function and waveforms of the hepatic veins, in regards to the cardiac cycle. This blog will cover how the hepatic veins play a role with the right heart. We tend to forget about the importance and useful information the hepatic veins provide us. Lets review, how the hepatic veins play a role in:

8 Things to Know About Estimation of RAP via Echocardiography

Last week, we shared our new year resolutions which including writing more and inspiring more. So I am jumping right in by writing a blog on the correct method to estimate right atrial pressures (RAP) when calculating your RVSP during an echo. The American Society of Echocardiography has outlined the correct use of the Collapsibility Index to estimate RAP yet the majority of the echocardiograms that we review on a daily basis still have an RAP of 10 entered for every echo. After speaking with sonographers, most admit it’s either a bad habit or it is just what they were taught to do.

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