Abstract
The progress in medical electronics has brought about great advances in hemodynamic monitoring. Echocardiography has a proven role in the urgent assessment of unstable patients with suspected cardiac disorders. Applicable technologies in echocardiography include M-mode, B-mode echocardiography and continuous wave, pulsed wave and color Doppler echocardiography. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is available as a diagnostic method or hemodynamic monitoring in critical ill patients. TTE has been advanced as the technologies in medical electronics have been developed. Two-dimensional and pulsed Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of both systolic and diastolic function is necessary for the therapy of patients with severe cardiac dysfunction including myocardial infarction. Combined evaluation using TTE and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) makes possible an accurate diagnosis in patients with cardiac dysfunction. The use of echocardiographic monitoring together with conventional pressure monitoring, such as the Swan-Ganz catheter, produces precise information on cardiac function.
With advancing the medical technology in the critical care field, we are now able to evaluate the hemodynamic variables using TTE and TEE.
