What is Echocardiography?

Echocardiography, or echo in short, is a non-invasive imaging technique that uses ultrasound waves to create detailed images of the heart. Echo images provide insights into the heart’s anatomy and function, helping physicians diagnose a wide range of cardiovascular conditions, such as heart failure and mitral valve regurgitation.

 

Key Echocardiographic Measurements in Clinical Practice

Sonographers perform many measurements on echocardiography. These measurements are fundamental in cardiovascular diagnostics. The measurements help assess the heart’s function, structure, and blood flow and are critical in diagnosing and managing heart disease. Some of the most used echocardiographic measurements in clinical practice include:

Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF)

LVEF is one of the most used parameters to evaluate the heart's functionality. LVEF is a fraction of the blood pumped out of the left ventricle divided by the end-diastolic volume, or the most filled state of the left ventricle. It represents the percentage of blood pumped out of the left ventricle with each heartbeat. LVEF indicates the heart’s pumping function, particularly in assessing heart failure.

Chamber Dimensions and Volumes

Accurate measurement of the heart’s chambers (atria and ventricles) is essential for diagnosing conditions such as cardiomegaly or hypertrophy. These measurements help clinicians assess whether the heart’s size is within normal ranges. Measurements used are LV diastolic diameter, LV systolic diameter, LV volume, LA diameter, LA area, and LA volume.

Wall Thickness

Measuring the thickness of the ventricular walls, especially in the left ventricle, helps detect conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, and athlete’s heart. These are conditions that affect the heart’s ability to pump effectively.

Diastolic Function

Besides the ability to contract, echocardiography also assesses the heart's ability to relax and fill with blood during diastole. Diastolic dysfunction is an early indicator of heart failure and can be detected through parameters like E/A ratio, septal E/e’, lateral E/e’ and tissue Doppler imaging.

Valvular Assessments

Stenosis (narrowing) or regurgitation (leakage) of the valves is a common condition seen in cardiology patients. Therefore, evaluating the heart valves is critical for diagnosing valvular heart diseases. Often, doppler imaging is used to assess the blood flow across the valves.

Strain Imaging

Strain imaging measures the deformation of heart muscle fibres (myocardium) during contraction and relaxation. Global longitudinal strain (GLS) of the left ventricle is widely used to detect early signs of myocardial dysfunction, often before changes in LVEF are apparent. Right ventricular (RV) and left atrial (LA) strain are also gaining traction in the diagnosis of specific conditions.

Proximal Isovelocity Surface Area (PISA)

The severity of mitral or tricuspid valve regurgitation can be quantified using the PISA method. It measures the flow of blood through a regurgitant valve and is an essential tool in the evaluation of valvular heart disease.

Cardiac Output and Stroke Volume

These measurements are essential to understanding how much blood the heart pumps with each beat and per minute, helping to evaluate overall heart performance.

 

How Caas Qardia Automates Echocardiographic Measurements

Caas Qardia supports an extensive range of echocardiographic measurements, automating critical assessments to improve speed, accuracy, and consistency in clinical practice. Here’s how Caas Qardia can elevate your echocardiographic capabilities:

• Automated LVEF: Reduces the time needed to manually calculate ejection fraction, providing faster, more accurate assessments.

• Strain Imaging: Automates left ventricular measurements and offers the possibility to perform left atrial and right ventricular strain measurements, offering detailed myocardial function analysis.

 

Why Choose Caas Qardia for Echocardiography?

Caas Qardia is designed to assist clinicians in obtaining accurate and reliable echocardiographic data through automation. Its advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities minimize operator dependency, reduce the time needed for manual measurements, and enhance overall diagnostic accuracy. Additionally, Caas Qardia allows for seamless analyses from anywhere in the hospital or even from home, provided there's a connection to the hospital server. This flexibility makes the process of second review much more efficient, enabling remote collaboration and quick adjustments. You can edit or add measurements to your colleague's analyses whenever and wherever, enhancing both workflow efficiency and clinical decision-making.

Caas Qardia also offers the ability to create personalized measurement protocols that streamline clinical workflows. These customized protocols ensure that every patient receives a standardized and optimal level of care, reducing variability in assessments while improving overall consistency. This means you can deliver the best possible care to every patient, every time.

 

Benefits of Using Caas Qardia

Increased Efficiency: Automated measurements save time, allowing for faster diagnosis and treatment decisions. With the ability to analyze echocardiograms from anywhere in the hospital or remotely from home, Caas Qardia also streamlines collaboration, making second reviews quicker and more efficient. Personalized protocols further optimize the workflow, ensuring smooth, efficient, and standardized evaluations.

Consistency and Accuracy: By reducing the variability that comes with manual measurements, Caas Qardia ensures more reliable and reproducible results. Clinicians can edit or add measurements to their colleagues' analyses remotely, ensuring data accuracy and workflow continuity. Customized measurement protocols also help maintain consistency across all patient evaluations.

Comprehensive Assessment: In addition to automating key measurements like LVEF and strain, Caas Qardia offers tools to perform PISA measurements, providing a complete spectrum of cardiac analysis. Whether in the hospital or offsite, you can ensure a thorough evaluation of the patient's heart health.

 

Conclusion

For medical professionals and healthcare facilities seeking to elevate their echocardiographic capabilities, Caas Qardia provides state-of-the-art solutions that enhance accuracy, efficiency, and diagnostic confidence. Its ability to automate key measurements like LVEF and strain, combined with the flexibility to analyze and review data from anywhere, ensures comprehensive, reliable, and timely cardiac evaluations. Personalized measurement protocols further streamline workflows, ensuring every patient receives the highest level of care. Whether you’re in the hospital or working remotely, Caas Qardia simplifies collaboration, standardizes assessments, and empowers clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions.

Get in touch today to learn how Caas Qardia can transform your echocardiography workflow and improve patient outcomes.