Cardiovascular Ultrasound Laboratory

The Cardiovascular Ultrasound Laboratory is situated within the Intensive Care complex itself. The laboratory provides emergency and routine tests for the ICU inpatients as well as providing cardiac ultrasound services to the inpatients of the Nepean, Governor Phillip, Springwood and Hawkesbury hospitals and to referring doctors in the district.

The Cardiovascular Ultrasound Laboratory also provide short-term practical training in transthoracic  echocardiography for outsiders. This aims to promote the use of echocardiography in other intensive care units and emergency departments.

It is one-to-one hands-on practical courses in echocardiography. To apply, download the application form here, complete and send to  Louise.Smith1@health.nsw.gov.au
 

Cardiovascular Investigations undertaken within the CVUL:
 

• Transthoracic Echocardiogram

• Transoesophageal Echocardiogram

• Stress Echocardiogram (Exercise and Pharmacological)

• ElectrocardiographVascular Investigations

A full range of the latest equipment provides the full range of non-invasive cardiac studies .

There is a small team of varied staff that make up the Cardiovascular Ultrasound Laboratory. The medical staff are headed by Dr Sam Orde and include Professor Anthony McLean, A/Prof Ian Seppelt, Dr Marek Nalos and Dr Arvind Rajamani. The Echo team comprises Louise Smith (Nurse Echocardiographer), Euguenia Kholodniak (Echocardiographer), Keren Mowbray (Nurse Echocardiographer), Debra Blackhall (Echocardiographer) and Anju Lu (Nurse Trainee Echocardiographer).

Research is coordinated by Professor Stephen J. Huang. Secretarial support is provided by Mrs Deanna McKay.

The Cardiovascular Ultrasound Laboratory, apart from providing clinical assessment services, also strives to provide the best and most up-to-date methods of ECHO assessment. The only way of making this possible is through our ongoing quality control type as well as exploratory type research. In recent years we have, in conjunction with the ICU research unit, established various methods for assessing a variety of conditions of the heart. Some of the works have been published in peer reviewed journals.