Archives for August 2023

This month, ASE welcomed 21 distinguished Fellows of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE) recipients! These members exemplify excellence in the field of cardiovascular ultrasound 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:

• Brian Alexander, DO, FASE
• Hakam Alzaeem, MD, FASE
• Alisa Arunamata, MD, FASE
• Jennifer Aten, BS, RDCS (AE,PE,FE), FASE
• Geetanjali Dang, MD, FASE
• Carlos El-Tallawi, MD, FASE
• Johnathan Henry, MD, FASE
• Windi Jones, MBA, MHA, RDCS, RVT, FASE
• Andreas Kyvernitakis, MD, FACC, FASE
• Simon Lee, MD, FASE
• Joseph Meyer, MD, FASE
• Sally Miller, RDCS, FASE
• Andrew Peters, MD, FASE
• Paul Poiyak, MD, FASE
• Satvik Ramakrishn, MD, FASE
• Zhanna Roytman, RDCS, FASE
• Colin Schwarzwal, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVIM, Dipl ECEIM, FASE
• Ifeoma Ugonabo, MD, FASE
• Hunter Wilson, MD, FASE
• Joyce Woo, MD, FASE
• Mrinal Yadava, MD, FASE

A complete list of FASE members can be found at SeeMyHeart.org. If you are interested in applying for FASE, or would like more information, visit ASEcho.org/FASE. The next deadline to apply is October 1, 2023.

The 8^th World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (WCPCCS) starts this weekend on Saturday, August 26, and lasts through September 1. During the Pre-Conference on Sunday, August 27, there will be a full day of sessions (8 AM – 4 PM) focused on Special Topics in Echocardiography (See page 14 of the WCPCCS program for session titles and times). This pre-conference was planned in conjunction with ASE and offers case-based presentations on unusual variants of complex CHD, review of the complexities encountered in patients with Double Outlet Right Ventricle, and a thorough review of imaging in the most common CHD: Ventricular Septal Defects.

ASE President Benjamin W. Eidem, MD, FASE, will be presenting and attending WCPCCS along with many other ASE members. The conference’s Echocardiography Track is Chaired by ASE’s Meryl Cohen, MD, MSEd, FASE, and Leo Lopez, MD, FASE, and the Fetal Cardiology Track is chaired by ASE’s Mary Donofrio, MD, FASE; Anita Moon-Gray, MD, FASE; and Jack Rychik, MD. ASE past board members Carolyn Altman, MD, FASE; Tal Geva, MD, FASE; and Piers Barker, MD, FASE; worked on the Scientific Committee planning the event. Additionally, ASE has joined nearly 50 individuals and 25 other organizations by endorsing the Washington, D.C. Call to Action on Addressing the Global Burden of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Diseases. This Call to Action highlights the global inequities in pediatric and congenital heart care and will be announced at WCPCCS.

Finally, make sure to visit ASE at Booth 1613 in the Exhibit Hall. Director of Membership, Dallas Lyons III, will be at ASE’s booth for the duration of the conference and can offer a refresher on your ASE membership benefits, help renew your membership for 2024, share the latest ASE educational products (save an additional 10% off member pricing), help you register for upcoming ASE courses, and more. We look forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C.!

Register for the 11^th Annual Echo Florida by August 30 and save $100! This live course, which takes place October 7-9, 2023, at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, will present a comprehensive review of echocardiography.

Echo Florida attendees can:

• Earn a maximum of 23.50 of CME/MOC Credits
• Observe numerous case-based and interactive presentations focused on a variety of topics
• Choose from several small group workshops offering one-one-one time with faculty in a hands-on learning experience (pre-registration is required)
• Attend two Science & Technology Theater presentations
• Access Echo Florida 2023 presentation recordings on-demand for 90 days, from October 30, 2023, through January 31, 2024 (excluding workshop sessions)
• Obtain PDF copies of all presentations (excluding workshop sessions)
• Meet with attending Exhibitors
• Enjoy breakfast, lunch, and refreshment breaks (registered attendees only)

Visit ASE’s website to learn more about Echo Florida and register, review the Advance Program, and book your hotel room at a discounted rate.

The latest issue of CASE is now available with some captivating reports, including “A Rapidly Growing Cardiac Mass—Malignant or Benign?” by Rout et al. Author Dinesh Kalra, MD, FACC, remarked, “Cardiac masses may be picked up incidentally or when evaluating a patient for symptoms and may sometimes pose a diagnostic dilemma. The first step is to determine whether a cardiac mass is a normal structure (i.e., a pseudotumor, for example, crista terminalis or lipomatous hypertrophy, or the interatrial septum) or a thrombus. The next step is to collect all the information from the patient’s history, presentation, and concomitant conditions to assess whether the mass is likely to be benign or malignant and if it can cause complications such as obstruction, thromboembolism, or clinically important arrhythmias. Herein, multimodality imaging plays a key role. In this month’s case report of a rapidly growing tumor that mimicked a malignant intracardiac tumor, we provide a multifaceted diagnostic algorithm that considers several features that help steer one to the correct diagnosis — such as the cardiac chamber where the mass originates, and multiple echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance features (including tissue characterization). With this kind of a comprehensive approach, a presumptive diagnosis can be made in over 75% of cases.”

This issue features a second case in Multimodality Imaging and three in the Cardiac Tumors and Pseudotumors category, including acontrasting case to Rout et al. of a small, slow-growing LV mass that had been followed closely for years, but when the patient returned with a stroke, surgery proved this to be a fibroelastoma. Additionally, there are three insightful reports in the Echo Innovation category, including the clever use of real-time 3D echo with simultaneous multi-slice short-axis stacks as a novel approach to precisely locating the catheter tip during endomyocardial biopsy. Dr. Sorrell’s editorial invites readers to bring what they learn in these rare cases back to their echo labs, so each patient’s experience and each echo’s quality are consistently first-rate, regardless of who may be watching.

Looking for a journal to submit your case report to? We want to hear from you! Email us with questions or submit your report today. Be sure to check out the latest Sonographer Sound-Off and Unlock the CASE features on the CASE Homepage to view more extraordinary work from your colleagues.

ASE’s Organizational Membership is available to companies, labs, and hospitals interested in joining ASE in a simplified, cost-effective way. The 2024 membership year begins next Thursday, August 24. Purchase an ASE membership for your fellows, sonographers, or physicians! Contact Christine Gil with questions.

Benefits of Organizational Membership:

• Multiple individuals from the same lab, private practice, or hospital can renew or join at the same time. No need for individual member applications.
• Enjoy the convenience of one consolidated invoice.
• Pay for everyone with one check and avoid reimbursements.
• For every five new individual memberships, the sixth membership is FREE!

August 16-22, 2023

Don’t miss this week’s Product of the Week sale! From August 16-22, ASE is offering a 10% discount on its Comprehensive TTE Guideline Pocket Guide Bundle (4 Pocket Guidelines). This discount is in addition to the savings you already receive on ASE products as a benefit of membership. Enter coupon code TTEPOCKET23 during checkout in the ASE Learning Hub (ALH).

The Comprehensive TTE Guideline Bundle is comprised of four pocket guidelines each measuring 5″ x 3″:

• Transthoracic Scanning Maneuvers and Windows
• Comprehensive Transthoracic Echocardiography Protocol
• Alternative Views for the Transthoracic Echocardiography Protocol
• Spectral Doppler Images for the Transthoracic Echocardiography Protocol

Remember to log in to ALH before purchasing, and email Products@ASEcho.org with questions.

The 2nd Annual Echo in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease Virtual Experience, which will take place September 30 – October 1, 2023, contains echo-specific education for the pediatric community and offers focused sessions on career development and well-being for adult and congenital cardiology sonographers.

This two-day virtual course will include topics such as:

• ACHD – New diagnosis in the adult
• Cutting-edge functional analysis
• Contemporary approaches to atrioventricular valve disease
• A roundtable discussion with sonographer leaders on career progression opportunities
• Stress echo in congenital heart disease

All sessions will also have dedicated question and answer time, where faculty will join live to answer participant questions.

Seven new videos were recently uploaded to the Recollections of ASE’s Founders and Past Presidents Playlist on ASE’s YouTube channel. Watch and listen to past ASE Presidents Susan E. Wiegers, MD, FASE; Allan L. Klein, MD, FASE; Jonathan R. Lindner, MD, FASE; Madhav Swaminathan, MD, FASE; Judy W. Hung, MD, FASE; Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE; Stephen H. Little, MD, FASE; and others!

Special thanks to Past Presidents Drs. Randy Martin and Alan Pearlman for their work behind the scenes to continue this collection of historical videos for the Society!

ASE is excited to promote a call for papers for each of its international journals, JASE and CASE.

CASE  is accepting submissions to a Special Issue, “Adult Congenital Heart Disease.”

Click here for full details. ASE President Benjamin W. Eidem, MD, FASE, is serving as Guest Editor. Submission deadline is October 1, 2023.

IMPORTANT: While submitting your manuscript (CASE Editorial Manager), please select the article type “SI: Adult Congenital Heart Disease (Case Report)” or “SI: Adult Congenital Heart Disease (Letter to Editor)” from the dropdown list. If you do not select one of these Article Types, your submission CANNOT be considered for the Special Issue. All submissions will undergo the usual peer-review process.

The Article Publishing Charge (APC) will be 100% waived for all manuscripts accepted for this special issue.

Please read the Guide for Authors before writing your manuscript to ensure all needed items are included and properly formatted.

The Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography (JASE) is considering submissions for a Focus Issue on Precision Imaging in Echocardiography for publication in early 2024.

We invite submission of original research studies, reviews, letters, and brief research communications that address any aspect of precision imaging in adult or pediatric echocardiography including topics such as:

• Application of quantitative echocardiography, including multidimensional or strain rate imaging, to assess disease severity, guide intervention, and assess or improve patient outcome.
• Implementation of echocardiographic endpoints in clinical trials.
• Artificial intelligence and computer modeling to optimize accuracy, efficiency, and individual benefit from an echocardiogram.
• Pediatric, vascular, and critical care monitoring.
• Molecular imaging.
• Novel applications in cardio-oncology, heart failure, structural heart disease, and preventive cardiology.

Submissions are due in JASE Editorial Manager by October 30, 2023.  Please note in your cover letter that the submission is for the Precision Medicine Issue.

In line with our core values at JASE and CASE, we welcome multi-disciplinary collaborations (e.g., sonographers, nurses, physicians, scientists).

Questions? Email Debbie Meyer (dmeyer@asecho.org) or Andie Piddington (apiddington@asecho.org).