A cardiac diagnostics laboratory has received recognition from a leading Italian medical society.
The Cardiovascular Ultrasound Laboratory of the Cardiology Unit, directed by Professor Giuseppe Andò, has received official accreditation from the Italian Society of Echocardiography and Cardiovascular Imaging (SIECVI), achieving Level 1 status for General Cardiovascular Ultrasound. This accreditation signifies a commitment to high-quality cardiac care and diagnostic accuracy.
“Achieving Level 1 accreditation for General Cardiovascular Ultrasound represents a significant professional and human achievement for our Laboratory,” said Dr. Maria Paola Trifirò, head of the Laboratory, who coordinates clinical activities, organization and ongoing diagnostic development. “This recognition certifies the quality of the daily work carried out with competence, rigor, and a collaborative spirit by the entire team.”
The laboratory, a specialist center dedicated to non-invasive diagnostics of heart and major vessel diseases using ultrasound (echocardiography), has long been a point of reference for the hospital and the surrounding region. The accreditation highlights the laboratory’s organizational, technological, and professional quality.
The primary examination performed is transthoracic echocardiography, which allows for real-time visualization of cardiac structures – including valves, chambers, walls, and pumping function – and assessment of blood flow. The laboratory serves patients experiencing a range of cardiac symptoms, including shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, fainting, and suspected valve disease, as well as those with hypertension, heart failure, prior myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, or congenital heart disease.
The laboratory offers a comprehensive range of services, including standard transthoracic color-Doppler echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography (used in specific cases to visualize posterior cardiac structures), stress echocardiography (performed during physical or pharmacological stress), contrast-enhanced echocardiography (when indicated), transcranial Doppler ultrasound with microbubbles, and intraoperative or structural procedure echocardiographic monitoring.
Transthoracic echocardiography is a painless, non-invasive procedure that does not involve radiation. Transesophageal echocardiography may sometimes require mild sedation and is performed in a controlled environment with medical monitoring.
Thanks to the constant commitment and ongoing professional development of its medical and nursing staff, the Laboratory supports structural interventional procedures, assists in the operating activity of the Cardiac Surgery Unit, and provides echocardiographic diagnostics to all departments of the hospital, as well as external patients, ensuring high levels of assistance and safety. This dedication to excellence underscores the importance of advanced cardiac diagnostics in delivering optimal patient care.
