Focused Cardiac Ultrasound in Place of Repeat Echocardiography: Reliability and Cost Implications

Background: Health care systems are increasingly moving toward models that emphasize the delivery of high-quality health care at lower costs. Rates of repeat echocardiography (two or more transthoracic echocardiographic studies performed within a short interval) are high and can contribute substantially to the cost of providing cardiovascular care. Certain findings from handheld ultrasound scans performed by echocardiographers have been shown to correlate well with findings on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). It therefore may be feasible and cost effective to use expert focused cardiac ultrasound (eFCU) in place of repeat TTE for highly selected indications in certain settings. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and cost implications of using eFCU in place of repeat TTE in selected inpatients.

Methods: Inpatients who underwent repeat TTE (prior TTE within 30 days) ordered for the assessment of ventricular function, pericardial effusion, or inferior vena cava collapse were prospectively enrolled. Subjects underwent eFCU in addition to TTE, and results were compared for correlation using the weighted κ statistic. The potential cost savings of using eFCU in place of TTE were modeled from the provider perspective (i.e., physicians and hospitals).

Results: Over 45 days, 105 patients were enrolled. The majority of scans were performed for assessment of left ventricular function and pericardial effusions. eFCU showed excellent correlation with TTE for most parameters, including left ventricular systolic function (κ = 0.80) and the presence and size of pericardial effusions (κ = 0.81) (P < .001 for both). Adoption of this eFCU protocol could save between $41 and $64 per study, or between $34,512 and $53,871 annually at the authors' institution.

Conclusions: Findings from eFCU correlate well with those from TTE when used in the setting of repeat testing for assessment of ventricular function, pericardial effusion, and inferior vena cava collapse. The judicious use of eFCU in place of repeat inpatient TTE has the potential to deliver quality cardiac imaging at reduced cost.