Funding provided by the Kingston Cardiac Support Trust and Kingston Hospital Charity has been used to implement a digital echocardiography reporting and archiving system; an echocardiography, more commonly known as an echo test, uses sound waves (ultrasound) to create moving pictures of the heart. The pictures show the size and shape of the heart as well as showing how well the heart’s chambers and valves are working.
The new system will greatly benefit patients and staff by improving image quality, while allowing clinicians to carry out more echo tests daily. Other benefits include time saved creating reports and enhanced opportunities for education of specialists registrars, junior doctors in training and cardiac physiologists.
Echo tests are requested by virtually every clinical speciality including oncology (cancer) services and maternity services, so the new system will benefit patients across the hospital.