Transthoracic echocardiography Guidelines of the German Society for Ultrasound in Medicine, German Cardiac Society, German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, German Society of Internal Medicine, Professional Association of German Internists, and the German Association of Cardiologists in Private Practice (Association of Scientific Medical Societies in Germany, S2k LL85-004, 9/1/20

Echocardiography is the most commonly used imaging method for evaluating the heart. It plays a central role in the cardiology routine and in acute and emergency situations, and is an essential component of the medical decision-making process. In spite of its high clinical relevance, national recommendations standardizing the examination procedure, equipment settings, and image documentation have been lacking. The present guidelines were created by the German Society for Ultrasound in Medicine and the German Cardiac Society in coordination with the German Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, German Society of Internal Medicine, Professional Association of German Internists, and the German Association of Cardiologists in Private Practice. The recommendations were formulated in consensus, published as draft guidelines, and finalized by the participating professional associations after evaluation of the feedback. The document meets the criteria for S2k guidelines in accordance with the Association of Scientific Medical Societies in Germany and defines binding standards for performing transthoracic echocardiography. The guidelines define which images and measurements are required to ensure valid and reproducible findings. The main recommendations relate to device settings, image acquisition, the minimum dataset to be acquired, and the definition of focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS). The complete long version of the guidelines is available on the website of the Association of Scientific Medical Societies in Germany. NOTE : The short version of this guideline is being published simultaneously in the journals Ultraschall in der Medizin - European Journal of Ultrasound and Die Kardiologie.