Ehokardiografsko društvo Srbije (ECHOS) survey on the use of echocardiography in pulmonary hypertension

Introduction. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a chronic progressive disease affecting about 1% of the world population. The Echocardiographic Society of Serbia (ECHOS) conducted a national survey to assess the use of echocardiographic parameters for non-invasive assessment of the likelihood of PH and its early detection in real-life practice. Methods. The survey consisted of 23 questions on demographics, routine assessment of right heart morphology and function, echocardiographic parameters used to screen for PH and report writing standards. The survey was sent as an online questionnaire by email to all members of ECHOS. Results. A total of 150 (22.7%) members responded to the survey. Echocardiographic examinations are most commonly performed by cardiologists (51%) with more than 10 years of experience in echocardiography (46%). More than half of the survey participants (55%) routinely assess right ventricular (RV) function and morphology. Echocardiographic parameters used to assess PH such as RV outflow tract flow profile and pulmonary artery diameter are routinely assessed by half of the respondents, while other parameters such as right atrial area are less commonly evaluated (23%). Systolic RV function is routinely assessed by the majority of respondents (90%), as is systolic RV pressure (97%). In patients with pulmonary thromboembolism, an echocardiographic examination is performed routinely during hospitalisation (95%). When screening for PH, all respondents assess left ventricular function. Most survey respondents consider routine assessment of RV parameters to be clinically important and believe that targeted echocardiographic courses are required to improve PH screening (96%). Conclusion. This survey highlights the lack of standardised echocardiographic assessments in screening for PH among ECHOS members. There is a need for targeted echocardiographic education that would improve routine echocardiographic practise in assessing right heart function and the likelihood of PH.