This post has been updated! Check out the latest version of this list here.
Echocardiography is a frequently used tool in the evaluation of a wide range of cardiac disease.
Used by internists in the evaluation of dyspnea on exertion, anesthesiologists concerned about that loud systolic murmur as well as pulmonologists worried about enlarged pulmonary arteries on chest x ray–its a tools that is utilized across a wide range of specialties and practice areas.
For cardiologists, sonographers, and interested clinicians, there are a number of apps available that can help us learn more about this imaging modality, interpret the studies, and communicate with our patients about the results.
We’ve reviewed in full a number of these apps and here we present our list for the four best apps for echocardiography.
Echocardiography Atlas by Epocrates
Echocardiography Atlas provides a comprehensive overview of echocardiography primarily through a library of images and videos that walk through the normal exam as well as a range of pathology. The user interface is well designed for both general browsing as well as finding specific content. The images and videos are of excellent quality and we particularly appreciated the pairing of static, labeled images with video clips.
This app is a great choice for anyone learning echocardiography including sonographers, cardiology trainees, and clinicians who perform these tests occasionally like critical care or emergency medicine clinicians. It is also a great choice for internists looking for a library of images and videos to use when discussing findings on an echocardiogram with their patients.
Price: Free
iMedicalApps Full Review
Platforms: iOS
iASE by the American Society of Echocardiography
Developed by the American Society of Echocardiography, iASE is a fantastic example of how professional societies can design useful mobile resources to disseminate information on standards, best practices, and more. The iASE app converts several of the guideline documents on interpretation of echocardiograms from the American Society of Echocardiography into a mobile form including those on chamber assessment, valvular disease, right heart assessment, and prosthetic valves. The PDF versions of several other guideline documents is included as well.
Several common equations are included as calculators within the app and most are paired with concise explanations and diagrams that can be useful teaching tools as well. A notable feature in this app is the inclusion of normal values for a range of prosthetic valves, information that can otherwise be challenging to find.
This app is a great resource for sonographers, practicing cardiologists, and trainees learning the practice and interpretation of echocardiography. Others may find its level of detail a bit much for their needs and prefer some of the other apps on this list.
Price: $4.99
iMedicalApps Full Review
Platforms: iOS, Android
EchoSource
EchoSource, developed by a practicing cardiologist, is essentially an introduction to echocardiography clearly written by someone with real world experience and practical insights to share. The app offers a review of the basics of image acquisition, principles of ultrasound and Doppler, and a review of several types of cardiac pathology. Unique with this app, in comparison to others on this list, is the inclusion of very practical guidance on how to perform an echocardiogram as well as some more background on principles like how Doppler works. For example, there is a fair amount of information patient and probe positioning to obtain the four standard views.
This app is a good choice for anyone learning how to perform and interpret echocardiograms. It can be a good reference for sonographer, cardiology trainees, and other clinicians learning basic echocardiography skills.
Price: $4.99
iMedicalApps Full Review
Platforms: iOS and Android
EchoLab
EchoLab, developed by a practicing cardiologist who spends a lot of time interpreting echocardiograms, is a well designed app for performing echo calculations. While many types of echocardiography software will perform these calculations automatically, its not uncommon to have a need to either repeat some of them or perform a calculation not included in the software.
There is a wide range of formulas included in the app. It has a nice feature whereby data entered in one calculator will automatically populate others i.e. enter the height once and it will appear in every formula that uses height to say calculate BSA. We were also reassured by the approach to safety and quality assessment taken by the developer as well as his credentials.
This app is useful for clinicians who regularly interprets echocardiograms, generally on a more detailed basis than clinicians who may just need to look at images to get a gross sense of LV function.
Price: $4.99
iMedicalApps Full Review
Platforms: iOS
