Introduction of portable bedside echocardiography to acute general medicine.

We reviewed the medical records of all patients who underwent portable bedside echocardiography under general medicine over a 15-month period. The mean age of patients was 67 years (range 16-95) (n = 201). Indications for scanning included syncope (27%), murmur (17%) and dyspnoea (14%); findings included valve abnormalities (46%), left ventricular hypertrophy (26%) and dilated left ventricle (15%). Bedside echocardiography is a useful extension of the physical examination but is operator-dependent, and its routine use in general medicine will depend on the availability of training, group reporting sessions and quality assurance.