scholarly journals Focused Cardiac Ultrasound Examination as a Tool for Diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis and Myocarditis in Dogs and Cats

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3162
Author(s):  
Olga Szaluś-Jordanow ◽  
Marta Stabińska-Smolarz ◽  
Michał Czopowicz ◽  
Agata Moroz ◽  
Marcin Mickiewicz ◽  
...  

Symptoms of infective endocarditis (IE) and myocarditis are usually nonspecific and include fever, apathy, and loss of appetite. This condition can lead to severe heart failure with ascites or/and fluid in the thoracic cavity or/and in the pericardial sac. We describe infective endocarditis and myocarditis in 3 dogs and 4 cats. In all animals, the initial diagnosis was performed on the basis of a focused cardiac ultrasound examination performed by a general practitioner after a training in this technique. The initial findings were confirmed by a board-certified specialist in veterinary cardiology. Post mortem positive microbiological results from valves were obtained in 4 of 7 patients. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was confirmed in 2 cases and Staphylococcus epidermidis was confirmed in 2 cases, one of which included Enterococcus sp. coinfection. Histopathological examination confirmed initial diagnosis in 5 of 7 animals. In the remaining 2 patients, the time elapsed from the onset of clinical symptoms to death was about 1 month and no active inflammation but massive fibrosis was found microscopically. This is, to our best knowledge, the first report of IE and myocarditis diagnosed in small animals using focused cardiac ultrasound examination. Therefore, we conclude that common usage of this technique by trained general veterinarians may increase the rate of diagnosed patients with these conditions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (04) ◽  
pp. 362-386
Author(s):  
Francesco Casella ◽  
Riccardo Schiavon ◽  
Elisa Ceriani ◽  
Chiara Cogliati

AbstractAs the availability of portable echocardiographic equipment is becoming more and more widespread, physicians can add a powerful tool to their bedside examination skills, thus helping them to more effectively face the growing complexity of patients admitted to internal medicine departments or the emergency room. Focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) can be defined as a goal-directed, simplified, qualitative examination performed at the bedside using portable echocardiographic devices. FoCUS is not meant to be a substitute for a standard 2D color Doppler echocardiographic examination. Nevertheless, it can provide rapid and reliable information when limited to basic questions, even when performed by non-cardiologists with brief training. Furthermore, a focused cardiac ultrasound examination maximizes its diagnostic role when integrated with an ultrasonographic assessment of the lung, abdomen and deep veins, in a multisystem approach that is particularly dear to internists. In this article, we will focus on the specific targets of a focused cardiac ultrasound examination, as well as the most common pitfalls that can be encountered in ultrasonographic practice. We will also address the application of FoCUS in the management of two typical scenarios in clinical practice, such as dyspnea and non-post-traumatic hypotension.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1845-1851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vi Am Dinh ◽  
H. Samuel Ko ◽  
Rajiv Rao ◽  
Ramesh C. Bansal ◽  
Dustin D. Smith ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1455-1462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente N. Siqueira ◽  
Frederico J. N. Mancuso ◽  
Orlando Campos ◽  
Angelo A. De Paola ◽  
Antonio C. Carvalho ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gini Priyadharshini Jeyashanmugaraja ◽  
Evgeny Shloknik ◽  
Deborah Tosin Akanya ◽  
Kristin Stawiarski ◽  
Christopher Winterbottom ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A 63-year-old woman was admitted with severe respiratory distress requiring mechanical ventilation and shock requiring vasopressor support. She was found to have COVID-19 pneumonia. Focused cardiac ultrasound performed for evaluation of shock was significant for right ventricular dilation and dysfunction with signs of right ventricular pressure overload. Given worsening shock and hypoxemia systemic thrombolysis was administered for presumed massive pulmonary embolism with remarkable improvement of hemodynamics and respiratory failure. In next 24 h patient’s neurologic status deteriorated to the point of unresponsiveness. Emergent computed tomography showed multiple ischemic infarcts concerning for embolic etiology. Focused cardiac ultrasound with agitated saline showed large right to left shunt due to a patent foramen ovale. This was confirmed by transesophageal echocardiogram, 5 months later. This case highlights strengths of focused cardiac ultrasound in critical care setting and in patients with COVID-19 when access to other imaging modalities can be limited.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
Liu, MD Bingyan ◽  
Hu, MD Jie ◽  
Liao, MD Wei ◽  
Wang, MD Donglin ◽  
Jing, MD Xiangxiang

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Minardi ◽  
Tom Marshall ◽  
Greta Massey ◽  
Erin Setzer

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document