Practice Test GeeksARDMS Echo - American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography Echocardiography Practice Test
← All ARDMS ECHO Flashcard Decks

Hemodynamic Assessment Flashcards

6 cards from real ARDMS ECHO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 Hemodynamic Assessment flashcards as text

  1. Left ventricular dP/dt can be estimated from echocardiography using:

    Answer: The time for the MR jet velocity to rise from 1 m/s to 3 m/s (32/Δt mmHg/s)

    LV dP/dt = 32 / time (s) between MR velocities of 1 m/s and 3 m/s; a value <1000 mmHg/s indicates severely impaired LV contractility.

  2. Which echocardiographic pattern reflects Grade III (restrictive) diastolic dysfunction?

    Answer: E/A > 2 with shortened deceleration time ( 14

    Grade III (restrictive) diastolic dysfunction shows E/A > 2, short deceleration time, and elevated filling pressures, indicating severely impaired compliance.

  3. Which finding on echo-guided hemodynamic assessment indicates fluid responsiveness?

    Answer: IVC collapsibility index >18% in a mechanically ventilated patient or >50% in a spontaneously breathing patient

    Greater IVC respiratory variation predicts fluid responsiveness; >18% variation with positive pressure ventilation or >50% with spontaneous breathing suggests preload dependence.

  4. The end-systolic pressure-volume relationship (ESPVR) is a load-independent measure of contractility. Which echo index best approximates it?

    Answer: End-systolic elastance derived from pressure-volume analysis

    End-systolic elastance (Ees) from the pressure-volume loop is the gold standard for load-independent contractility, though echocardiography approximates it using combined pressure-area or volume measurements.

  5. In a patient with low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis (LVEF < 50%), dobutamine stress echo is used to:

    Answer: Distinguish true severe AS (fixed, small AVA) from pseudo-severe AS (AVA normalizes with increased flow)

    Low-dose dobutamine stress echo increases flow; true severe AS maintains a small AVA (<1.0 cm²) despite increased gradient, while pseudo-severe AS shows AVA increasing above 1.0 cm².

  6. What is the normal resting mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) threshold above which pulmonary hypertension is diagnosed?

    Answer: >20 mmHg

    The 2022 ESC/ERS guidelines updated the mPAP threshold for pulmonary hypertension from ≥25 to >20 mmHg at rest on right heart catheterization.