Echocardiography Quick Notes — 430 Bedside Echo Notes by Dr Thirugnanam

Why I wrote this book

An interventional cardiologist lives by echo: it selects patients, guides structural procedures and catches complications before the monitor does. Yet the knowledge is scattered across long guideline documents that nobody reads at the bedside.

I wrote these notes as the compact companion I wanted for my own trainees — one note, one idea, with the number or criterion you actually need.

From first view to complex disease

Foundations: cardiac anatomy, standard views, M-mode, 2D, colour, spectral and tissue Doppler, and strain imaging.

Function: chamber quantification, left and right ventricular systolic function and diastolic assessment.

Disease: native and prosthetic valve disease, cardiomyopathies, congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, pericardial disease, masses and infective endocarditis.

Acute care: cardiac emergencies and point-of-care echocardiography.

Each note highlights the measurement, the reference value, the diagnostic criterion or the pitfall, in line with current international recommendations.

Who I had in mind

Cardiologists and physicians who perform or request echocardiograms, sonographers and echocardiographers, postgraduate trainees, and students preparing for cardiology examinations.

The book at a glance

Questions readers ask me

Is this a textbook of echocardiography?

No — it is a rapid reference. It assumes you are learning echo and need concise, accurate reminders rather than long explanations.

Does it include normal values?

Yes. Reference values and diagnostic thresholds are built into the relevant notes.

Is it useful for examinations?

Yes. The note format suits last-month revision for cardiology and medicine examinations.