Figure 4
From: Diagnostic ability of hand-held echocardiography in ventilated critically ill patients
Continuous-wave Doppler findings obtained with a full-feature echocardiographic platform from a ventilated patient receiving high doses of inotropes for a suspected cardiogenic shock after cardiac surgery. (A) Conventional transthoracic echocardiography revealed a systolic left ventricular obstruction with a dynamic pressure gradient up to 94 mmHg, whereas hand-held echocardiography only showed a hyperkinetic left ventricle. (B) The hemodynamics improved after repeated fluid challenges and rapid tapering of positive inotrope doses, as reflected by the absence of Doppler detectable dynamic obstruction.