23rd Annual ASCeXAM/ReASCE Review Course: Virtual Experience – Don’t Miss the Upcoming Live Q&A on July 9

Registration for the virtual 2022 ASCeXAM/ReASCE Review Course is still open. Gain the knowledge you need to pass the upcoming ASCeXAM and ReASCE exams.

Online access to pre-recorded presentations of the entire course, including physics, are now available. Registration includes the PDF slides to view in your home or lab on-demand. Registrants will have unlimited on-demand access to the content through August 7, 2022.

This virtual CME review course will also include a live component. The expert faculty, led by Vera Rigolin, MD, FASE, and Muhamed Saric, MD, PhD, FASE, will host two, 2-hour Q&A sessions on Saturday, July 9, 2022, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET and 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM ET.

Even if you are not taking the exam this year, this course offers comprehensive cardiovascular ultrasound education that includes 28.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Registration will close July 31, 2022, but the earlier you register, the earlier you will have access to the content. Download the programregister, and learn more at ASEcho.org/ReviewCourse.

June – A Great Month to Show Off CASE!

The latest issue of CASE, ASE’s open access case reports journal, is available with more educational pearls to share with students, trainees, and colleagues. One of these is a CASE series from Harnett et al, Echocardiographic Evaluation of the Etiology and Mechanism of Native Aortic Valve Regurgitation, which provides readers with an extremely insightful and illustrative CASE series to better understand the mechanism of AR which helps inform the surgical approach. CASE Editor-in-Chief Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, FACP ASIM, FACC, FCMR, noted, “Inspired from Carpentier’s classification of mitral regurgitation, these authors provide a schematic overview of the aortic annulus, aortic valve, and sinuses of Valsalva. They proceed to include 2D TTE, TEE, color Doppler, and correlative diagrams that carefully illustrate the various etiologies of AR. By doing so, the readers are provided with a standardized approach to universal terminology that will serve to improve communication. This is an example of another educational CASE report that should be disseminated to all echo readers and kept in a folder in your lab.”

Additionally, this issue includes Doppler Dilemmas with reports on a rare double-orifice tricuspid valve and mycotic aneurysm, as well as four Congenital Heart Disease reports with patients ranging from a six-day-old infant to an 83-year-old woman. A new subsection titled Atypical Presentations of Heart Disease features two “medical masquerades” to intrigue readers, and the issue is rounded out with a Letter to the Editor and Author Response about optimizing 3D echo for imaging the tricuspid valve.

Finally, we are excited to announce the 2021 CASE of the Year, Mysterious Infantile Cyanosis: An Imaging Case Series, which was presented by Sudeep Sunthankar, MD, on behalf of his co-authors during the ShowCASE session at ASE 2022 in Seattle. Check out the CASE homepage to read about this article and the other four finalists who represented the top CASEs published in 2021, as chosen by the CASE Editorial Team. The ShowCASE session also featured the MACH-1 Rapid-Fire portion, where eight sonographers presented their cases on one slide each in under 90 seconds. All presenters did a remarkable job, educating with energy and setting a high standard for future ShowCASE events. Submit YOUR CASE report today, and maybe you’ll be chosen to present at ASE 2023!

Echocardiography Formula Review Guide Part 3: Now Available

The Echocardiography Formula Review Guide Part 3: Cardiac Strain, Stress, 3D, Ultrasound Enhancing Agents (UEA), and Pericardial Disease is a unique 6″ x 8″ spiral-bound formula pocket guide. This is a must have for all practicing echocardiographers, cardiology fellows, and sonographers. If you are looking to become more quantitative in your reports or studying for boards, this formula handbook will be useful on a daily basis.

To order, first log in to your ASE member portal to ensure your member discount. Visit the ASE Learning Hub in your portal, and learn more about the product here. Purchase yours today for only $40 USD.

Don’t miss the companion products: Echocardiography Formula Review Guide: Native Valves and Intracardiac Pressures and Echocardiography Formula Review Guide Part 2: Ultrasound Physics, Valve Prosthesis, Hemodynamics, Diastology, and Congenital Defects. Consider bundling the three products to save!

ASE 2023 Session Proposals Due June 30

ASE is seeking session proposals for our 34th Annual Scientific Sessions to be held June 23-26, 2023, in National Harbor, Maryland. Help us provide cutting-edge content for our attendees.

Sessions should:

  • Highlight innovation and advances in Cardiovascular Ultrasound in clinical, educational, and research applications 
  • Achieve faculty diversity (including demographics of sex, ethnicity, institution, career stage, country, etc.)
  • Promote current and new ASE guidelines to advance quality in Cardiovascular Ultrasound to enhance clinical decision-making
  • Facilitate the acquisition of practical knowledge, skills, and experience by attendees
  • Provide balanced content for physicians, sonographers, cardiovascular care team members, and emerging/early-career faculty
  • Address perceived skills and knowledge gaps across all levels of expertise
  • Include a variety of presentation and learning formats to enhance educational engagement and address different learning styles

Deadline for all submissions: June 30, 2022

Notification of selected sessions: October 31, 2022

Innovations in Transthoracic Echocardiography Could Allow for Acquisition of 2D Images Through the Deconstruction of 3D Data Sets

A research study being presented at the American Society of Echocardiography’s (ASE) 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions, June 10-13, 2022, in Seattle, Wash., explores the benefits of conducting three-dimensional echocardiograms (3DE) and how the approach could eventually replace the standard practice of conventional two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE).

In the study, nearly 40 patients underwent a series of standard 2DE heart imaging. The same heart images were then extracted using 3DE data sets from the same patients. Comparing the pair of images, 3DE-derived measurements were able to be captured much faster than those obtained from conventional 2DE images and were potentially more accurate. Read more here.

New Study Looks to Improve Future Cardiovascular Prognosis in Pregnant Women with a History of Preeclampsia

A new study being presented this week at the American Society of Echocardiography’s (ASE) 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions in Seattle, Wash., suggests that your blood pressure during pregnancy may impact your long-term heart health.

The research, titled Echocardiographic Characterization of Long-Term Cardiac Function in Women with Preeclampsia, focuses on the heart’s left ventricular mechanics and explores if its function might help explain the mechanisms of the heart that cause long-term cardiovascular conditions in women with preeclampsia. Learn more here.

Innovative Cardiovascular Ultrasound Solutions Showcased at ASE 2022

The U.S. launch of software to revolutionize the cardiology imaging workflow and an FDA-cleared disposable camera that seamlessly connects to Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) probes are just two of the exciting new releases being featured in the Echo Expo exhibit hall at the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions, June 10-13, 2022, at the Seattle Convention Center.

Nearly 50 companies and organizations will display their latest products and services including revolutionary microbubble generators, demonstrations of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for increased speed, efficiency and accuracy, and solutions for creating a safe and ergonomic work environment. ASE 2022 is the world’s premier meeting for cardiovascular ultrasound practitioners and promises a wealth of cutting-edge education, research and the latest vendor technology.

The President’s Reception, honoring Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE, from Texas Heart Institute, on Saturday, June 11, 4:00-6:00 PM, will kick-off the opening of the Echo Expo exhibit and poster hall. The Expo will also be open Sunday, June 12, 9:00 AM to 2:45 PM and Monday, June 13, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Read highlights from the show floor, as reported in their own words by the vendors.

ASE’s HCM Guideline in June JASE

The June JASE includes, “Recommendations for Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging of Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: An Update from the American Society of Echocardiography, in Collaboration with the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, and the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography,” from Sherif F. Nagueh, MD, FASE, et al. Dr. Nagueh noted that “Updated content in this HCM guideline includes the use of multimodality imaging for the evaluation of patients with left ventricular hypertrophy utilizing new techniques with echocardiography and CMR. There is a new section on the evaluation of HCM patients with ischemia. Other sections that have been updated include role of imaging in the risk stratification of patients for sudden cardiac death.”

Clinical investigations explore vegetation size and surgery in infective endocarditis, pericardial fat and cardiac function, atrial functional tricuspid regurgitation, 3D echocardiography in cardio-oncology, feasibility, reproducibility and prognostic value of automated measurement of RV strain and arterial stiffness and cardiac function in youth-onset diabetes. Papers on pediatric echocardiography explore speckle tracking in children during and after chemotherapy for cardiotoxicity assessment and global longitudinal strain in the single RV.

A response to a Letter to the Editor notes that timely identification of hospitalized patients at risk for COVID-19-associated right heart failure should be a major goal of echocardiographic surveillance in the disease.

The President’s Message from Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE, which is his final communication as he hands the reins over to his successor, looks at his year as the President of ASE, and will give ASE members numerous reasons to be proud of what has been achieved and what is still to come. The continuing education and meeting calendar outlines a multitude of learning options near and far.

ASE and IEEE UFFC to Co-host a Hackathon on New Ultrasound Technology for Critical Care Continuous Monitoring

ASE is pleased to announce collaborative efforts with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society (IEEE UFFC-S), to co-host a Hackathon on June 14, 2022, in Seattle, Washington. Coinciding with ASE’s Scientific Sessions, and chaired by Carol Mitchell, PhD, RDMS, RDCS, RVT, RT(R), ACS, FASE, the joint initiative will bring together experts from their respective fields to work together toward advancing diagnostic ultrasound technology to support continuous monitoring of patients in critical care.

Read more here.

Calling All Future Leaders: ASE Leadership Academy Application Now Open

Are you interested in becoming a future leader in ASE or know someone who might be interested? Now is the time to apply for a position in the 2022-2024 class of the ASE Leadership Academy.

This program provides a unique opportunity for ASE members to increase their knowledge and develop a skill set that will help them in their careers and personal life. During this 20-month program, participants will be matched with a senior adviser, acquire a personalized evaluation of their leadership aptitude, and receive high-quality, online tutorials on leadership topics valued at over $7,500.

Applications and recommendation letters are being accepted through August 1, 2022. Questions? Email LeadershipAcademy@ASEcho.org.