Echocardiography update for primary care physicians: a review

Abstract

Echocardiography is a key evaluation tool for the diagnosis, prognosis, and guidance of interventional management of numerous cardiovascular conditions, including ischaemia, heart failure, and structural heart diseases. Recent technological advancements have also seen the exploration of artificial intelligence, intracardiac vortex imaging, and three-dimensional printing in echocardiography. With cardiovascular diseases increasing in prevalence worldwide, it is important for clinicians including general practitioners to have updated knowledge of appropriate use of echocardiography. As such, this article reviews the current literature and summarises the latest developments and the general clinical usage of echocardiography.

Keywords: Cardiology; Echocardiography; Primary health care; Review.