Learners often struggle with which direction to point the probe marker when scanning the heart. Hopefully this is a quick fix.

The cardiac preset is the wierdo. It’s the only preset that puts the indicator on the right side of the screen. All the others (as far as I know) put the indicator (the dot) on the left.

Also, in almost every instance, your default probe orientation is with indicator to the patient’s right. Again, cardiac imaging is contrary to this standard in three of the four basic scanning locations. It’s not surprising there is some confusion.

Here we see the proper probe marker orientation for the four standard views of the heart

I think of them in a specific sequence such that the probe marker starts pointed to the patient’s right shoulder then turns to the patients left shoulder, left axilla, then left hip. That makes the sequence of the exam as follows: parasternal long axis, parasternal short axis, apical four chamber, and subxiphoid.

Clearly there is no actual benefit to this sequence other than the fact that it might help you remember which probe orientation goes with which imaging window.

It’s always a good idea to obtain images as close to “classic” as possible because it standardizes interpretation and makes your conclusions more supportable. Step one is pointing the probe in the correct direction.

Scan happy, my friends.