Targeted neonatal echocardiography (TnECHO) service in a Canadian neonatal intensive care unit: a 4-year experience

Objective:to characterize the effect of a targeted neonatal echocardiography (tnecho) program on decision making in a tertiary level unit.study design:retrospective cohort study of neonates, admitted between september 2007 and april 2011. details of the tnecho, and the clinical decisions within 6 h of the consultation were recorded.result:a total of 199 infants underwent 512 echocardiograms with a median (interquartile range) of 2 (1 to 3) tnecho studies per infant. the indications included assessment for patent ductus arteriosus (pda; n=261, 51%), post-pda ligation assessment (n=101, 19%), pulmonary hemodynamics (n=81, 16%), myocardial performance and systemic blood flow (n=52, 10%), and central venous catheter tip position (n=6, 1%). tnecho consultation was followed by a change in clinical management in 212 cases (41%) and avoidance of a planned intervention in 112 cases (22%).conclusion:tnecho may be a useful tool to guide clinical decisions in the neonatal intensive care unit setting. well-planned prospective studies are needed to assess the impact of tnecho on outcomes.