Ten Things to be Considered in Practicing Critical Care Echocardiography

[...]RV dilatation is a typical sign of acute RV dysfunction, which may be induced by PE, a severe disease that should be managed immediately; however, in patients with chronic pulmonary hypertension, RV dilatation may be a common sign without any clinical symptoms. [...]when the findings of the CCE were used in the diagnosis, it was very important to recognize whether these findings were caused by the patients' preexisting cardiac disease. [25] The RV and LV share the same septum, so the diastolic function of the LV can be influenced by the increased pressure load of the RV, which is common in the critically ill patient, as the thin-walled RV is much more sensitive to increase in afterload. [...]putting the right heart into first place in the cardiac function assessment and identifying the influence of the right heart on the left heart or even the whole circulation system are very important. The earliest abnormality in any cardiac pathology is diastolic dysfunction. [...]it is natural that any cardiac disease can cause LV diastolic dysfunction to a variable extent. [...]when using CCE to assess hemodynamic problems, we suggest following the direction of blood flow into and out the heart.