Diagnosis of pericardial effusion with a new generation hand-carried ultrasound device in cardiothoracic intensive care unit patients.

BACKGROUND Technological advances introduced hand-carried ultrasound (HCU) imagers in daily clinical workflow providing several benefits such as fast bedside availability and prompt diagnosis. PURPOSE To evaluate the diagnostic yield of a latest generation HCU imager compared to contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for the detection of pericardial effusion (PE) in cardiothoracic intensive care unit (ICU) patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-six patients from a cardiothoracic ICU were enrolled to this study irrespective of their underlying disease. All patients were examined with a new generation HCU for the presence of PE. Definite diagnosis of PE was based on findings of MDCT as standard of reference. Statistical analysis was performed using PASW 18. RESULTS PE was identified in 20 patients by MDCT (prevalence 56%). The HCU examination was carried out technically successfully in all patients. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of HCU for the diagnosis of PE were 75%, 88%, 88%, and 74%, respectively. CONCLUSION HCU provides rapid, practical, reliable, and cost-effective diagnosis of PE in patients on cardiothoracic ICU.