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Table 3 Most common specific indications for transthoracic echocardiography by referring physician specialty*

From: Limitations of free-form-text diagnostic requisitions as a tool for evaluating adherence to appropriate use criteria for transthoracic echocardiography

Referring physician Specific indication (AUC indication no.) Number of requisitions (% of specialty population)
Primary care physicians Symptoms or conditions potentially related to suspected cardiac etiology (1) 59 (23.4)
Internal Medicine [excluding cardiology] Evaluation of suspected pulmonary hypertension (15) 17 (12.5)
Cardiologists Symptoms or conditions potentially related to suspected cardiac etiology (1) 58 (9.1)
Cardiac surgeons Initial postoperative evaluation of prosthetic valve for establishment of baseline (47) 22 (25.9)
Other specialists Suspected cardiovascular source of embolus (58) 134 (70.2)
  1. *Specific indication number and associated descriptions are based on the ACCF 2011 AUC for Echocardiography [9].
  2. [AUC = appropriate use criteria].
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Cardiovascular Ultrasound

ISSN: 1476-7120

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