Comparative Accuracy of Focused Cardiac Ultrasonography and Clinical Examination for Left Ventricular Dysfunction and Valvular Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Conclusion: Clinical examination assisted by FoCUS has greater sensitivity, but not greater specificity, than clinical assessment alone for identifying left ventricular dysfunction and aortic or mitral valve disease; FoCUS-assisted examination may help rule out cardiovascular pathology in some patients, but it may not be sufficient for definitive confirmation of cardiovascular disease suspected on physical examination.
Primary Funding Source: None. (PROSPERO: CRD42019124318).
PMID: 31382273 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Annals of Internal Medicine - August 5, 2019 Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Marbach JA, Almufleh A, Di Santo P, Jung R, Simard T, McInnes M, Salameh JP, McGrath TA, Millington SJ, Diemer G, West FM, Domecq MC, Hibbert B Tags: Ann Intern Med Source Type: research