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How to obtain cardiac views

Obtain the five transverse intracardiac views

When the heart is seen from the front in the anatomical drawing, note:

  • The position of the chambers and great arteries relative to each other
  • The relative position of the valves to each other. The mitral and aortic valves lie in the left ventricle, behind (posterior to) the right heart structures
  • Only a small part of the left ventricle is seen

The five basic cardiac views are:

  • The abdomen at the level of the stomach
  • The 5-chamber view
  • The left ventricular outflow tract (or aortic origin) view
  • The 3-vessel view (which shows the right ventricular outflow tract)
  • The transverse arch and duct (sometimes called the 3vessel trachea, 3VT, view)