Acute Heart Failure

Acute Heart Failure with Depressed Ejection Fraction | Gagandeep Singh MD | Bronx, NY

Parasternal Long Axis

Parasternal Long Axis

Parasternal Short Axis

Parasternal Short Axis

Apical Four Chamber

Apical Four Chamber

Subxiphoid

Subxiphoid

Inferior Vena Cava

Inferior Vena Cava

A 50 something year-old patient presents with shortness of breath for 2 weeks. There’s no chest pain, but there is a history of alcohol and cocaine use. On exam both legs are swollen and there are stable vital signs.

POCUS echo shows a severely reduced ejection fraction and a dilated IVC with minimal respiratory variation.

Pearls: The focused echo [DOI: 10.1016/j.echo.2010.10.005] is all about a routine. If you get in the habit of acquiring all views, then if patient habitus or clinical scenario does not allow one view or the other, you will be proficient and able to attain the remaining views to answer your clinical question.