"Getting to the Heart of Cardiac Ultrasound Technology" - John R. Fischer
Around 34 million echocardiograms were performed in the U.S. alone in 2017, with volume estimated to increase by about six percent annually. However producing an accurate echocardiogram is a challenge compounded by a variety of factors, from the patient’s physical attributes, to the technician’s skill and equipment, to the experience of the interpreting doctor. These variables all affect the ability of clinicians to accurately diagnose and treat their patients. “The same echocardiogram completed by different sonographers and on different equipment may not look like the same final end product. And when it’s delivered to me, as the interpreting doctor, the echo is subject to my interpretation based on my knowledge and experience, which varies with each physician,” said Martin Goldman, MD, professor of medicine and cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
— Martin E. Goldman, MD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai