Heart Lab Diagnostics

01/31/2026

01/31/2026

Classic Causes of Cardiomyopathy. Afterall 80% of diagnosis is based on a patient's history. The more you know, the more you can show.

🧠 Mnemonic: “ABCC VIP”
• Alcohol
• Beri-beri (B1 deficiency)
• Coxsackie B (viral myocarditis)
• Co***ne
• Viral myocarditis
• Iron overload (hemochromatosis)
• Pregnancy (peripartum)
(+ Doxorubicin/Adriamycin)

Complications

⚠️ Mural thrombus + arrhythmias → emboli / sudden death

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2) Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) = THICK + TIGHT

✅ Problem: diastolic dysfunction (↓ filling)
✅ Heart: asymmetric septal hypertrophy
✅ Genetic: AD mutation (sarcomere proteins)

Key pathology

🔬 Myofiber disarray

High-yield danger

⚠️ Sudden death in young athletes
⚠️ Can cause LV outflow obstruction (septum blocks exit)

🧠 Mnemonic:

“HCM = Huge Septum = Hard to Fill”

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3) Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (RCM) = STIFF

✅ Problem: very poor filling (diastolic dysfunction)
✅ Heart size: ventricles NOT dilated (often normal)
✅ Cause: infiltration / fibrosis

Causes (must know)

🧠 Mnemonic: “ASSEL”
• Amyloidosis
• Sarcoidosis
• Scleroderma / fibrosis
• Endomyocardial fibroelastosis
• Löffler endocarditis

🧠 Easy line:

“Restrictive = Stiff heart from Stuff inside.”

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4) Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) = FATTY RV

✅ Problem: arrhythmias (esp VT)
✅ Cause: AD mutation in desmosomes
✅ Pathology: fatty infiltration of myocardium
✅ Mostly affects Right ventricle

🧠 Mnemonic:

“ARVC = Arrhythmia + RV replaced by fat”

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🔥 One-line comparison (exam gold)

✅ DCM: BIG + Weak → ↓EF (systolic)
✅ HCM: THICK + Tight → sudden death (diastolic ± obstruction)
✅ RCM: STIFF → can’t fill (diastolic)
✅ ARVC: FATTY RV → ventricular arrhythmias

Send a message to learn more

01/26/2026

Today is the day.....

01/26/2026

Let's survive the icey conditions today.

Heart attacks are common in icy/snowy weather often due to over exertion.

Set small goals to tackle at a time. Take your time shoveling and clearing ice. It's okay to stop to breath and even stop for a while. Take lots of breaks, drink plenty of water, and be safe.

12/20/2025

Happy Holidays From Us to All of You

11/04/2025

Keeping up with Linda Carter! If Wonder Woman can do it, we can too!

11/04/2025

Keeping The Beat with 10 ways to keep your heart healthy...

08/04/2025

HAPPENING TOMORROW! Join us for Ultrasound Meets Genetics - Prenatal Diagnosis of RASopathies on August 2! This virtual course can be taken as a standalone course or as part 2 of the 3-part series!

Designed for OB/GYN sonographers, physicians, radiologists, and other healthcare professionals covering clinical guidelines and advanced diagnostic techniques. Participants can earn up to 2 CME credits. Register now: https://bit.ly/3FAMkcb

08/04/2025

Read "The Impact of a Structured Onboarding and Education Program on the Professional Advancement of a Pediatric Sonographer" in the latest issue of !

https://www.sdms.org/membership/JDMS/jdms-member-access-redirect?JDMSPATH=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/87564793241303936

Note: This is Members Only Content - You must login to view.

08/04/2025

Celebrating my 9th year on Facebook. Thank you for your continuing support. I could never have made it without you. 🙏🤗🎉

06/27/2025

We are pleased to share that we have translated our poster, "A Practical Approach to Echocardiographic Imaging in Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy," into Canadian French!

Download your FREE poster using this link ➡️ bit.ly/3T7ySAk

06/27/2025

Unlock the knowledge about Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy! Earn 1 SDMS CME credit too. Take the first step here: https://bit.ly/43iIgFS