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Clinical Application of Echocardiography in Heart Disease: 2nd Edition
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Clinical Application of Echocardiography in Heart Disease: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Cardiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2026) | Viewed by 1412

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Carlos Cotrim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Heart Center, Hospital da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa, 1549-008 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: stress echocardiography; echocardiography; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; coronary artery disease; cardiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue entitled “Clinical Application of Echocardiography in Heart Disease: 2nd Edition”. This is a new volume; five papers were published in the first volume. For more details, please visit the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jcm/special_issues/2UW9468CO0.

The progress of echocardiography use in all areas of cardiology has been remarkable. Since its introduction in clinical practice in 1954 by I. Edler, there has been an increase in technological advances in transthoracic, transesophageal, and stress echocardiography. In recent years, echocardiography invaded the angiography and operating rooms, monitoring a myriad of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Its role in Intensive Care units and in the emergency departments has become outstanding, improving survival and the prognosis of our patients.

The absence of radiation also favors the use of echocardiography as the first-line diagnostic method in most cardiac pathologies.

In this Special Issue, we welcome authors to submit papers with a focus on the clinical applications of the various forms of echocardiography in heart disease.

Prof. Dr. Carlos Cotrim
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • transthoracic echocardiography
  • transesophageal echocardiography
  • stress echocardiography
  • valve disease
  • coronary artery disease
  • myocardial disease
  • pericardial disease
  • aortic disease
  • congenital heart disease

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 752 KB  
Article
The Effect of Rate-Controlling Medication on the Performance and Outcome of Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography in the Assessment of Patients with Suspected Angina: A Retrospective Cohort Study
by Laya Hariharan, Muhammad Zohaib Amjad, Emil Tom John, Valentina Cospite, Sudipta Chattopadhyay and Attila Kardos
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(8), 2850; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15082850 - 9 Apr 2026
Viewed by 390
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Stress echocardiography (SE) had been recommended by professional societies for assessing patients with suspected angina. SE protocols are variable across hospitals and countries in the recommendation of the cessation of rate-controlling medication (RCMx) prior to SE. Some expert opinion papers recommend [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Stress echocardiography (SE) had been recommended by professional societies for assessing patients with suspected angina. SE protocols are variable across hospitals and countries in the recommendation of the cessation of rate-controlling medication (RCMx) prior to SE. Some expert opinion papers recommend the cessation of beta receptor blockers (BBs) and rate-controlling calcium channel blockers 48 h prior to SE to improve the diagnostic accuracy of the test. There is no evidence that the continuation of RCMx can affect the outcome of SE and short-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). To investigate the efficacy of Dobutamine SE in a cohort of patients where the cessation of rate-controlling medication has not been mandated, we reviewed our data over a one-year period in patients investigated for suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: A retrospective data analysis was performed on 227 consecutive patients who underwent Dobutamine SE between January 2022 and January 2023 in a single centre. In addition to dobutamine, the protocol allowed the administration of intravenous atropine (maximum dose of 1.2 mg) and a “top up” handgrip exercise at the discretion of the performing cardiologist. We assessed the Dobutamine SE outcome (positive vs. negative), target heart rate (THR, 85% of maximum age predicted), and the achieved peak HR in the two groups with RCMx and without RCMx. We analysed the patients’ characteristics and 12-month outcomes of a combined MACE of death, non-fatal MI, stroke, admission with angina, and unplanned revascularisation. Results: Of the 227 patients, 61% were on No-RCMx (male 40%). Ninety-three percent of the patients on RCMx were on BB and 7% on other rate-controlling medications. The THR was achieved in 74% of the patients with-RCMx and 90% in the without-RCMx groups p = 0.0018. Positive Dobutamine SE was observed in 48% (43/89) of patients on RCMx vs. 28% (39/138) on No-RCMx (p = 0.0022). Patients who did not reach THR 43% (16/37) had positive Dobutamine SE compared to 35% (66/190) who reached THR (p = 0.626). There was no difference between groups in the peak WMSI. Logistic regression analysis showed that being on RCMx was independently associated with positive Dobutamine SE (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.06–3.91, and p = 0.034). The MACE rate was higher in patients where the THR was not achieved (9/37, 24.0%) vs. where THR was achieved (9/190, 4.7%), p < 0.001, in both the with-RCMx (7/30, 23% vs. 6/66, 9.1%, p = 0.013) and without-RCMx (2/14, 14% vs. 3/124, 2.4%; p = 0.025) groups, respectively. RCMx was independently associated with MACE (OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.227–11.046, and p = 0.020). Conclusions: The use of RCMx proved to be a predictor of both SE and MACE outcomes irrespective of the achieved THR. Our data supports the practice that patients referred for Dobutamine SE on RCMx can continue taking them without impact on the test accuracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Application of Echocardiography in Heart Disease: 2nd Edition)
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Review

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24 pages, 4516 KB  
Review
Integrative Assessment of Left Ventricular Myocardial Work: Prognostic Utility and Clinical Application Across Cardiovascular Pathologies
by Alexandra-Cătălina Frișan, Mihai-Andrei Lazăr, Raluca Coifan, Simina Crișan, Daniel-Miron Brie, Silvia Ana Luca, Adina Ionac and Cristian Mornoș
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(3), 1311; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15031311 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 657
Abstract
Left ventricular myocardial work (MW) has emerged as a valuable echocardiographic parameter for evaluating cardiac function and predicting clinical outcomes. Unlike conventional indices such as left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain, MW integrates myocardial deformation with left ventricular pressure, providing a [...] Read more.
Left ventricular myocardial work (MW) has emerged as a valuable echocardiographic parameter for evaluating cardiac function and predicting clinical outcomes. Unlike conventional indices such as left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain, MW integrates myocardial deformation with left ventricular pressure, providing a load-adjusted and physiologically meaningful assessment of myocardial performance. Growing evidence demonstrates that impaired MW is consistently associated with adverse outcomes, including heart failure hospitalization, mortality, and functional deterioration, across a wide spectrum of cardiovascular conditions such as ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease, and cardiomyopathies. The noninvasive estimation of MW using commercially available echocardiographic software has enhanced its feasibility in routine clinical practice, enabling improved risk stratification and early identification of high-risk patients. This review summarizes current evidence supporting the prognostic value of MW, highlights its incremental role beyond conventional echocardiographic parameters, and discusses future perspectives for its integration into everyday clinical decision-making. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Clinical Application of Echocardiography in Heart Disease: 2nd Edition)
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