Accuracy and Efficacy of Hand-Held Echocardiography in Diagnosing Valve Disease – a Systematic Review

Abstract In recent years, advances in technology have enabled hand-held echocardiography (HHE) to generate high-quality two-dimensional and color Doppler images. As these devices are becoming smaller, simpler, and more affordable, the question of whether HHE can augment or replace auscultation as the primary mode of cardiovascular diagnosis has become increasingly more relevant. If widely implemented, HHE has the potential for significant cost-savings and better resource utilization. This review examines studies comparing the sensitivities of auscultation, HHE, and standard echocardiography in detecting various valvular lesions and discusses why current evidence supports that the use of HHE to augment the physical exam can lead to more reliable and rapid bedside diagnoses, triage, and appropriate treatment of structural cardiac abnormalities.