We appreciate you choosing ASE as your professional home. ASE strives to provide you with valuable benefits that are designed to aid you in your efforts to provide excellence in patient care and save you time and money. We hope you will go ahead and renew your membership today for 2022 for guaranteed continued access to JASE, CASE, free CME, and all your other membership benefits. Renew by December 31 and receive a 2022 ASE Image Calendar.

ASE is also pleased to offer the option for organizations to make one payment for ASE memberships for their entire team. Join or renew your ASE memberships for your whole lab with one form and one payment! Fill out this application form, and we will send you an invoice. For more information, please contact Suzanne Morris at SMorris@ASEcho.org

The October JASE includes, “State of the Art: Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair for Complex Mitral Regurgitation,” by Nir Flint, MD, et al. Senior author Robert J. Siegel, MD, said that, “Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair has revolutionized the treatment of primary and secondary mitral regurgitation. Greater operator experience, improvements in intraprocedural imaging, the addition of the PASCAL device as well as new iterations of the MitraClip with longer and wider arms have expanded the clinical application of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair.” The mitral valve discussion continues with a second state-of-the-art review, from Leonardo Italia, MD, et al., “Percutaneous Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair: Beyond the Left Heart.”

Other clinical investigations in this issue explore echocardiography and atrial fibrillation, establishing optimal echocardiographic measurements, echocardiographic vs. angiographic measurement of the patent ductus arteriosus in extremely low birth weight infants, and the utility of echo guidance for transcatheter closure. A preclinical investigation looks at imaging myocardial scar with echocardiography. Brief Research Communications and Letters to the Editor round out this issue’s scientific matter.

ASE President Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE, announces in his President’s Message that ASE’s annual Echo Magazine is going monthly, offering a new mode of communication for ASE Special Interest Groups, Councils, and its entire membership. The Interventional Echocardiography Communication, written by Nishath Quader, MD, FASE, Rebecca Hahn, MD, FASE, Muhamed Saric, MD, PhD, FASE, and Stephen H. Little, MD, FASE, tackles the question, “Is it Time to Formalize Training for Interventional Echocardiography and Imaging for Structural Heart Disease Procedures,” and the education calendar outlines a multitude of learning options near and far.

A special insert is included in the print issue of JASE this month. A poster titled “The Role of Echocardiography in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy” can be removed from the journal and used for educational purposes. The poster, authored by Allison Hays, MD, FASE, and Karan Kapoor, MD, in collaboration with Judy W. Hung, MD, FASE, Dermot Phelan, MD, PhD, FASE, and David H. Wiener, MD, FASE, is also available online to download and print. ASE gratefully acknowledges Bristol Myers Squibb for their support of this valuable hypertrophic cardiomyopathy resource.

Don’t miss ASE’s next Twitter Journal Club as the Cardio-Oncology SIG joins us to review the following articles:

• Strain-Guided Management of Potentially Cardiotoxic Cancer Therapy(JACC, February 2021)
• Left Ventricular Global Strain Analysis by Two-Dimensional Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography: The Learning Curve(JASE, November 2017)
• Echocardiography Core Laboratory Reproducibility of Cardiac Safety Assessments in Cardio-Oncology(JASE, March 2018)

This is a great way to get your questions answered and share your knowledge. Follow @ASE360 using hashtag #ASEchoJC. This event will be moderated by Ritu Thamman, MD, FASE, and the Cardio-Oncology SIG Leaders, on Tuesday, October 12, from 8:00 to 9:00 PM ET.

ASE members: Receive FREE CME for participating in this activity.

Register prior to the Twitter Journal Club to guarantee your free CME.

1. To register, log in to your ASE Member Portal.
2. Select the ASE Learning Hub from the top red menu.
3. Register for the event here.

There is still time to register for ASE’s Advanced Imaging for Sonographers: Echo Access™ Virtual Experience course, October 9 – 10, 2021. This exciting, clinically applicable program is aimed at the sonographer/practitioner directly involved in advanced echo imaging, and offers 6 CME credits.

Created by course directors Carol Mitchell, PhD, RDMS, RVT, RT(R), ACS, FASE, and Tony Forshaw, M Cardiac Ultrasound, B Ex Sci, AMS (Cardiac), FASE, the course will focus on the clinical application of 3D and strain imaging as part of the routine echocardiographic examination. Increased education in these areas is needed to ensure standardization of measurements and improved acquisition of datasets.

This virtual course will be presented in two, three-hour sessions (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM ET). Day one will focus on advanced strain imaging, and day two will focus on advanced 3D imaging. The presentation format will be approximately one-hour for each presentation (40 minutes of pre-recorded content with 20 minutes of live question and answer). A strong emphasis has been placed on practical aspects of data acquisition and analysis of raw datasets.

Do you have a peer who deserves recognition for the high level of their cardiovascular research? Named in honor of the founder and first president of ASE, Harvey Feigenbaum, MD, FASE, the Feigenbaum Lectureship is awarded to a young investigator in recognition of their significant contributions to research in the field and their potential to continue at a high level of achievement. This Lectureship is open to both physicians and sonographers. The ASE Awards Committee is now accepting nominations for the 2022 Feigenbaum Lecturer who will present during the 33rd Annual ASE Scientific Sessions, June 10-13, 2022 in Seattle, WA. The deadline for nominations is November 30, 2021.

Click here for nomination guidelines. Please email Nominations@ASEcho.org with any questions or to submit your nomination.

Registration for the two following webinars is FREE for active ASE members. Log in to your ASE member portal and select the ASE Learning Hub from the top red menu to browse educational offerings including webinars.

3D Echocardiography to Guide Decision Making in Congenital Heart Disease

September 23, 2021 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

This webinar, which is a part of the ASE Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease Council (PCHD) webinar series, will be a case-based discussion with a focus on the role of 3D echocardiography imaging in guiding decision making with discussion of lesions in which 3D imaging is most helpful, tips on image acquisition and processing, limits to 3D echocardiography, and application of knowledge gained to decision making. You can claim 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Moderators: Carolyn Altman, MD, FASE; and Gregory Tatum, MD, FASE

Speakers: Elizabeth Caris, MD; Olivia Frosch, MD; Tracy Hill, RDCS; and Katie Wood, MD

Panelists: Pei-Ni Jone, MD, FASE; Muhammad Nuri, MD; Joshua Robinson, MD, FASE; and Greg Sturgeon, RCS, RDCS, MSE

Sonographer Career Pathways

September 29, 2021 | 6:00 – 7:30 PM ET

This webinar will focus on various sonographer echocardiography career pathways. It will feature 10 expert sonographers, highlighting a diverse array of specialties in echocardiography and unique growth opportunities.

Moderator: Melissa Wasserman, RDCS, RCCS, FASE

Speakers: Jennifer Acevedo, RDCS, FASE; David Adams, ACS, RCS, RDCS, FASE; Alicia Armour, MA, BS, ACS, RDCS, FASE; J. Todd Belcik, BS, ACS, RDCS, FASE; Courtney Cassidy, RDCS, FASE; Ian Crandall, BS, MS, RCS; Eric Kruse, BS, ACS, RDCS, RVT, FASE; Christine Pascua, RCS, FASE; Neha Soni-Patel, MEd, BSME, RCCS, RDCS (AE/PE), FASE; and G. Monet Strachan, ACS, RDCS, FASE.

ASE recently welcomed 18 distinguished Fellows of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE) designation recipients! These members have exemplified excellence through education, research, leadership, and volunteerism. They are ambassadors for ASE and recognized experts in their field. Join us in congratulating the newest FASE recipients:

• Mouin Abdallah, MD, FACC, FASE
• Manohari Balasingam, MD, FRCP, FASE
• Tracy Binkley, RDCS, FASE
• Kristie M. Fultz, RDCS, FASE
• Regan E Giesinger, MD, FASE
• Satoshi Hanada, MD, FASE
• Colleen Mary Harrington, MD, FASE
• Amish Jain, MBBS, PhD, FASE
• Abigail E Kaminski, BS, RDCS, RVT, FASE
• Ruchika Karnik, MBBS, FAAP, FASE
• Saaron Levy Laighold, MD, FASE
• Alan Marsh, BS, RDCS, RCCS, ACS, FASE
• Aura Andrea Sanchez Mejia, MD, FASE
• Laura Mercer-Rosa, MD, MSCE, FASE
• John Joseph Mullen III, RDCS, FASE
• Nazire Ozcelik, MD, FAAP, FACC, FASE
• Yasotha Rajeswaran, MD, FASE
• Connie M. Saczawa, RDCS, FASE 

So far during 2021, ASE has welcomed 84 new FASE! A full list of FASE members can be found on SeeMyHeart.org. If you are interested in applying for FASE and being recognized in the field, or would like more information, please visit ASEcho.org/FASE. The next deadline to apply is October 1, 2021. 

National Coffee Day is September 29th and the ASE Foundation (ASEF) is hosting its 3rd annual Coffee Day fundraiser. Celebrate your love for the morning buzz with ASEF. Donate what you would normally spend on a cup of joe to ASEF and help us raise $5,000. Donations will be accepted from 9/26 – 10/2.

Will you pledge a cup to ASEF? Pledged contributions are incredibly helpful and inspire others to join the cause. Contact Foundation@ASEcho.org to make your early pledge.

Mark your calendars for 9/26 – 10/2 and plan to “Donate A Cup” to ASEF!

The ASE Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Our tax I.D. number is 43-1972597. Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 919-814-5400. The license is not an endorsement by the State.

Each year ASE members recruit new members and participate in our Member Ambassador Program. Our hats off to these wonderful, helpful members! This year, these 14 ASE members referred five or more new members and received a free 2022 membership:

• Bonita Anderson, M.APPL.SC, DMU, AMS, ACS, FASE, FASA
• Paul Braum, BS, RDCS, RCS, RVT, RVS, ACS, FASE
• Barry Canaday, MS, RN, RDCS, RCS, FASE
• Samantha Carnefix, RDCS
• Patrick Dickson, RDCS, RVT
• Tara Guthrie
• Beth Lampe, BS, RDCS, RDMS
• Kalpana Mahatpure
• Patrick McNamara, MD, FASE
• Alina Nicoara, MD, FASE
• Joey Parnell
• Bharat Patel, RDCS, RVS, RDMS, FASE
• Brad Roberts, BS, ACS, RCS, RDCS, FASE
• Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, FACP-ASIM, FACC, FCMR

ASE membership is open to anyone who has an interest in cardiovascular ultrasound, not only physicians and sonographers. Nurses, physician assistants, researchers, veterinarians, radiology technicians, and other industry professionals can all be members of ASE. Who makes ASE strong? You. Plan now to recruit new members in 2022. Recruit one new member and you BOTH receive an ASE branded SpinSocket*. Recruit five or more new members and your 2023 ASE membership will be FREE.

The September JASE includes, “Prognostic Value of Peak Exercise Systolic Pulmonary Arterial Pressure in Asymptomatic Primary Mitral Valve Regurgitation,” by Dimitri Arangalage, MD, PhD, et al. Senior author David Messika-Zeitoun, MD, PhD, said that, “In asymptomatic patients with primary degenerative mitral regurgitation, we show that peak systolic pulmonary artery pressure measured during exercise provides important prognostic information, and our data suggest that a threshold of 50 mm Hg may potentially guide indication for surgery.” Do not miss the podcast on the JASE homepage where Dr. Messika-Zeitoun, and Jose Banchs, MD, FASE, discuss this paper with Amer Johri, MD, FASE. Bernard Cosyns, MD, PhD, and Julien Magne, PhD, authored an accompanying editorial comment, “Exercise Systolic Pulmonary Arterial Pressure in Asymptomatic Mitral Regurgitation: Back to the Future.” A paper by Federico Fortuni, MD, et al. also looks at risk stratification but in secondary tricuspid regurgitation.

Other clinical investigations in this issue spotlight applications of echocardiography in heart failure, 3D echocardiographic assessment of the left atrial appendage, pediatric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and reference ranges for pulsed-wave Doppler of the fetal cardiac inflow and outflow tracts. The CME opportunity in this issue is a review by Jeffrey J. Silbiger, MD, “Mitral Annular Calcification and Calcific Mitral Stenosis: Role of Echocardiography in Hemodynamic Assessment and Management.” Brief Research Communications and Letters to the Editor round out this issue’s scientific matter.

A photo essay sharing the highlights of ASE’s 2021 Scientific Sessions Virtual Experience is in this issue. It illustrates the remarkable science, joyful and impactful interactions, and the emerging talent furthering echocardiography.

ASE President Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE, lays out the process in his President’s Message of key ways to volunteer for ASE. Read about vital developments and achievements regarding the sonographer and pediatric and congenital heart disease councils. The education calendar outlines a multitude of learning options near and far