Patient-centered care cardiac electrosonography

In this book the authors propose a new clinical algorithmic approach for patients with acute cardiovascular syndromes based on the combination of ECG and echocardiography performance and interpretation that is termed: electrosonography. In patient-centered care, an individual's specific health needs and desired health outcomes are the driving force behind all health care decisions and quality measurements. The authors propose a novel "patient-centered care cardiac electrosonography" concept where in a patient with cardiovascular disease the patient's cardiac symptoms are in the center of the care followed by an ECG and transthoracic cardiac or chest sonography. The combination of these three elements: a detailed history and physical exam based on the patient symptoms, the ECG and the echocardiogram improves patient diagnosis and management. This chapter provides a simplified and a novel algorithmic method for ECG interpretation and three novel pathways to diagnose and manage patients with cardiovascular symptoms of chest pain, shortness of breath (dyspnea) and syncope.