Abstract
Echocardiography is a non-invasive diagnostic technique that provides information regarding heart function and haemodynamics. It is essential both for diagnosing the acute coronary syndrome, evaluation of the ventricular function and the presence of regional wall motion abnormalities, and for ruling out other etiologies of acute chest pain or dyspnoea.
It also provides timely and accurate diagnosis in the haemodynamically unstable patients presenting with myocardial infarction complications including cardiac tamponade, severe mitral regurgitation or ventricular septal defect. This review focuses on the current role of echocardiography in patients with the acute coronary syndrome and its complications.