Current awareness and use of transthoracic echocardiography in evaluation of valvular heart disease in Kumamoto Prefecture -a report from the Kumamoto cardiovascular echocardiography standardization project

Hiroki Usuku; Eiichiro Yamamoto; Fumi Oike; Kenichi Yoshida; Yuji Ogata; Saori Kato; Syota Fukushige; Ayako Tomita; Seiki Matsumoto; Yoshio Iwayama; Kanako Honda; Shinji Tanaka; Yoko Fukuyoshi; Tamami Ousaka; Eiichiro Tanaka; Ikuo Misumi; Kazuhiro Nishigami; Hiroyuki Shono; Kenichi Tsujita

doi:10.1007/s12574-024-00648-w

Current awareness and use of transthoracic echocardiography in evaluation of valvular heart disease in Kumamoto Prefecture -a report from the Kumamoto cardiovascular echocardiography standardization project

J Echocardiogr. 2024 Apr 6. doi: 10.1007/s12574-024-00648-w. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hiroki Usuku^{1

2}, Eiichiro Yamamoto³, Fumi Oike³, Kenichi Yoshida^{4

5}, Yuji Ogata^{4

6}, Saori Kato^{4

7}, Syota Fukushige^{4

8}, Ayako Tomita^{4

8}, Seiki Matsumoto^{4

9}, Yoshio Iwayama^{4

10}, Kanako Honda^{4

11}, Shinji Tanaka^{4

12}, Yoko Fukuyoshi^{13

4}, Tamami Ousaka^{4

11}, Eiichiro Tanaka¹⁴, Ikuo Misumi¹⁵, Kazuhiro Nishigami⁹, Hiroyuki Shono¹⁶, Kenichi Tsujita³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kumamoto University Hospital, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-Ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan. h-usuku@kumamoto-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan. h-usuku@kumamoto-u.ac.jp.
³ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan.
⁴ Kumamoto Association of Medical Technologist, Kumamoto, Japan.
⁵ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kumamoto Rosai Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
⁶ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kumamoto City Ueki Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
⁷ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
⁸ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
⁹ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Miyuki Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
¹⁰ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Sakura Jyuji Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
¹¹ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kumamoto Chuo Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
¹² Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kumamoto Health Care Center of Japanese Red Cross Society, Kumamoto, Japan.
¹³ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kumamoto University Hospital, 1-1-1 Honjo, Chuo-Ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556, Japan.
¹⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, Tanaka Medical Clinic, Kumamoto, Japan.
¹⁵ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kumamoto City Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.
¹⁶ Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Saiseikai Misumi Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan.

PMID: 38581560
DOI: 10.1007/s12574-024-00648-w

Abstract

Background: There are few reports on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) for the evaluation of valvular heart disease in a specific area or region.

Methods and results: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted in 2023 in Kumamoto Prefecture, where 106 hospitals provide cardiology services. Ninety-three (88%) of the hospitals completed questionnaires regarding TTE. The severity of low flow/low gradient AS was evaluated by dobutamine stress echocardiography in only 7% of hospitals and exercise stress echocardiography for asymptomatic mitral regurgitation in only 5%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that participation in remote multi-institutional echocardiographic meetings and use of the Kumamoto Prefecture echocardiographic manual were significantly associated with the use of a multi-window approach (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: In Kumamoto Prefecture, echocardiographic measurements are performed according to the recommendations at a relatively low rate. Dissemination of recommendations through remote meetings and the use of the echocardiographic manual may increase the likelihood of TTE being performed according to the recommendations.

Keywords: Aortic stenosis; Transthoracic echocardiography; Valvular heart disease.