Find in Library

Despite many advances in neonatal care, critically ill neonates with cardiovascular compromise are managed by indirect markers such as blood pressure, capillary refill time, urine output and lactate levels. Functional echocardiography (FnEcho), if performed reliably, will help the neonatologist to understand the underlying physiology better and enable better management. It provides information about the underlying haemodynamic function in real time and changes in cardiovascular status in response to treatment. The goal is NOT to diagnose congenital heart disease but to provide frequent, timely and relevant haemodynamic information in critically ill neonates. Functional echocardiography can only be done once the paediatric cardiologist has ruled out structural heart disease. This review examines the potential applications in different disease states and how the technology may be introduced safely in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).