Hand-carried cardiac ultrasound

Advances in cardiac ultrasound have included the development of larger, more powerful platforms with advanced imaging features and quantitative analysis packages. However, a parallel yet polar opposite development has also occurred: the introduction of smaller, less powerful platforms with limited imaging capabilities has sparked a new genre of cardiac imaging. Several terms are used to describe these platforms. The American Society of Echocardiography Task Force on New Technology has recommended the term hand-carried cardiac ultrasound. The clinical use models for hand-carried ultrasound take advantage of their portability and ease of use compared with larger platforms. These benefits and use models are the subject of this review.