Pocket ultrasounds used in Dénia Hospital to detect heart infections

Pocket ultrasounds are being used in Dénia Hospital to detect heart infections caused by bacteria.

Dénia Hospital, one of four hospitals in Spain using the technology, said on Thursday, July 21 that the pocket ultrasound was tested over three years on a population of more than 250 patients by Internal Medicine and Cardiology teams.

Tests at Dénia Hospital showed that pocket ultrasound was an accurate tool for detecting signs suggestive of infective endocarditis. According to heart.org, infective endocarditis is an infection caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream and settles in the heart lining, a heart valve or a blood vessel.

According to Doctors Inmaculada Poquet (Intern) and Patricia Martín Rico (Head of Internal Medicine at Dénia Hospital), early detection is essential as it can lead to very serious consequences for the patient if untreated.

They added that the units are also effective in detecting structural heart disease and valvular abnormalities.

Dénia Hospital has now been accredited to train doctors in the use of the pocket ultrasound, with training helping doctors and medical professionals to acquire the skills needed to introduce the unit into their daily practice.

Although pocket ultrasounds have been used in Dénia Hospital for some time, it is only now that their effectiveness in detecting heart infections has been confirmed. That should lead to wider use across hospitals in Spain.

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