A 61-year-old man was admitted to hospital with severe occipital headache and weakness and numbness of the left arm. His electrocardiograms showed changes hinting at acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, in view of his clinical presentation, he underwent tests for likely subarachnoid haemorrhage, but this was ruled out. The next day, he was referred to cardiology. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed reduced left ventricular systolic function along with regional wall motion abnormalities involving inferoposterior walls. The patient was treated as per the protocol for ACS. A dobutamine stress echocardiogram confirmed inferior myocardial infarction with evidence of myocardial viability in the affected left ventricular segments. Subsequent investigations confirmed three-vessel coronary artery disease and reduced left ventricular systolic function. The patient underwent successful coronary artery bypass grafting.
Assessing left ventricular systolic function by emergency physician using point of care echocardiography compared to expert
