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Home / Equine Research Bank / J Vet Intern Med / Focused cardiac ultrasound examination in the emergency and ...
Journal of veterinary internal medicine2022; 36(4); 1471-1480; doi: 10.1111/jvim.16446

Focused cardiac ultrasound examination in the emergency and critical care horse: Training for non-specialist veterinarians and evaluation of proficiency.

Abstract: Focused cardiac ultrasound examination (FoCUS) is rapidly emerging for point-of-care cardiac assessment using hand-carried ultrasound (HCU) devices. A specific FoCUS protocol for horses and adequate training guidelines currently are not available. Objective: To gain knowledge about the training necessary to become proficient in performing FoCUS using a HCU device. Methods: Three healthy Warmblood horses were used for practical training of veterinarians and veterinary students in equine focused cardiac ultrasound (eFoCUS). Methods: Prospective educational study. An eFoCUS protocol and 1-day training course were developed. Pre- and post-course written tests were administered to participants to evaluate proficiency in knowledge of echocardiography and echocardiographic pathology. A post-course practical examination involved performing eFoCUS and storage of representative images. Images were evaluated using an image quality score and compared between participants with some practical experience and participants with no practical experience. Results: Participants' knowledge of echocardiography increased significantly. Recognition of echocardiographic pathology pre-course ranged from 40% to 90% (mean score, 65.7%) and post-course from 85% to 100% (mean score, 92%). Eighteen of 21 participants were proficient in performing eFoCUS with a median image quality score of 79% (range, 42%-95%). Image quality did not differ between participants with some practical experience compared to participants with no experience. Conclusions: Veterinarians and veterinary students independent of previous experience can become proficient in performing eFoCUS after completion of a 1-day training course.
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
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Publication Date: 2022-06-03 PubMed ID: 35657023PubMed Central: PMC9308440DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16446Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research focuses on how veterinarians, including those with no previous experience, can become proficient in performing a focused cardiac ultrasound examination (FoCUS) in emergency situations involving horses, after a one-day training course.

Objective

  • The objective of this research was to assess the training necessary for non-specialist veterinarians and veterinary students to become proficient in using hand-carried ultrasound (HCU) devices to perform focused cardiac ultrasound examination on horses (eFoCUS).

Methodology

  • Three healthy Warmblood horses were used for practical training where participants, ranging from veterans to novices in echocardiography, were taught using a specifically developed eFoCUS protocol.
  • The researchers conducted a prospective educational study where participants were put through a one-day training course.
  • To evaluate proficiency, participants were administered written tests assessing their understanding of echocardiography and its related pathology before and after the training.
  • Following the training course, a practical test required participants to perform eFoCUS and store representative images.
  • The stored images were assessed and evaluated based on image quality score, resulting in a comparison of proficiency between participants with some practical echocardiographic experience and those with no experience.

Results

  • The training resulted in a significant increase in participants’ knowledge of echocardiography. The recognition of echocardiographic pathology improved post-course, with an average mean score increasing from 65.7% pre-course to 92% post-course.
  • Among the 21 participants, 18 were proficient in performing eFoCUS, achieving a median image quality score of 79% that ranged between 42% to 95%.
  • The study determined that pre-course practical experience did not impact the image quality, indicating the effectiveness of the training course for participants regardless of their previous practical experience.

Conclusion

  • The study concluded that independent of prior experience, veterinarians and veterinary students can become proficient in performing eFoCUS after completing a one-day training course.

Cite This Article

APA
Eberhardt C, Schwarzwald CC. (2022). Focused cardiac ultrasound examination in the emergency and critical care horse: Training for non-specialist veterinarians and evaluation of proficiency. J Vet Intern Med, 36(4), 1471-1480. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16446

Publication

Journal of veterinary internal medicine
ISSN: 1939-1676
NlmUniqueID: 8708660
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 36
Issue: 4
Pages: 1471-1480

Researcher Affiliations

Eberhardt, Christina
  • Vetsuisse Faculty, Equine Department, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Schwarzwald, Colin C
  • Vetsuisse Faculty, Equine Department, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Critical Care
  • Echocardiography / veterinary
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Prospective Studies
  • Ultrasonography / veterinary
  • Veterinarians

Conflict of Interest Statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Guillaumin J, Cavanagh A, Rechy J Jr, Callahan M, Hanel R. Abdominal, thoracic, and cardiac point-of-care ultrasound skills following an in-person hands-on training course for early-track emergency clinicians. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1520004.
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  2. Huh T, Achilles EJ, Massey LK, Loughran KA, Larouche-Lebel É, Convey V, McKaba VF, Crooks A, Kraus MS, Gelzer AR, Oyama MA. Utility of focused cardiac ultrasonography training in veterinary students to differentiate stages of subclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease in dogs. J Vet Intern Med 2024 May-Jun;38(3):1325-1333.
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  3. Bevevino KE, Cohen ND, Gordon SG, Navas de Solis C. Feasibility of a point-of-care ultrasound protocol for cardiorespiratory evaluation of horses in different clinical settings. J Vet Intern Med 2023 May-Jun;37(3):1223-1232.
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