Tissue Doppler in critical illness

We applaud Sturgess and colleagues [1] for their report on tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in critical illness. Although their patients were selected and transthoracic echocardiography was performed at variable times after intensive care unit admission, the results provide a glimpse into the use of TDI and have generated many hypotheses. Indeed, there is a paucity of data regarding TDI in the critically ill patient, and further studies evaluating echocardiographic parameters in this population are urgently needed.