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Contact: Angie Porter
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APorter@ASEcho.org
American Society of Echocardiography Releases Updated COVID-19 Statement Guideline
The guideline addresses lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and offers new recommendations and guidance to echocardiography laboratories for preparedness in future pandemics
(DURHAM, NC, November 2, 2023)—The COVID-19 pandemic altered the medical landscape and spurred dramatic changes in the practice of echocardiography. While we have moved on from a public health emergency, the emergence of multiple variants makes it an ongoing health issue and an opportune time to reflect on the impact of pandemics.
Considering these developments, the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) released an updated guideline document to address the current state of COVID-19’s impact on echocardiography and to apply lessons learned to echocardiography laboratory operations in future pandemics.
The new guideline, titled American Society of Echocardiography COVID-19 Statement Update: Lessons Learned and Preparation for Future Pandemics, is an update to the Society’s initial statement released in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
The statement offers recommendations on specific indications and decisions about the performance of echocardiography services, infection/transmission mitigation strategies, role of cardiac point-of-care ultrasound/critical care echocardiography, and training in echocardiography, all of which are important areas impacted by current and future pandemics.
“The information included in this guideline will help echocardiography laboratories better plan and prepare by incorporating the lessons we learned the first time around,” says James N. Kirkpatrick, MD, FASE, chair of the guideline writing group. “If in the next pandemic we are once again in contingency or crisis situations, this scientific statement will help direct triage efforts, ensure resources are efficiently employed, and establish plans and protocols helping to prevent staff distress and burnout.”
Additionally, the guideline recognizes the role of professional societies in guiding the development of local policies in conversations between echocardiography laboratory directors and administrators, infection control experts, and staff.
“ASE was one of the first professional societies to offer guidance to echocardiography laboratories around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says ASE Past President (2019-2020) Madhav Swaminathan, MD, FASE, co-chair of the guideline writing group. “The pandemic has evolved since publishing that initial statement, and we have learned that sharing experiences and providing information proactively helps better protect echocardiography service providers and patients.”
This document is a multi-society and multi-national statement comprised of a diverse writing group that includes experts from ASE, the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. It is published in the November 2023 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.
ASE published several earlier COVID-19 statements covering a variety of specific areas, including pediatrics and sonography. View all ASE Guidelines by visiting ASEcho.org/Guidelines.
About American Society of Echocardiography
The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is the Society for Cardiovascular Ultrasound Professionals™. ASE is the largest global organization for cardiovascular ultrasound imaging serving physicians, sonographers, nurses, veterinarians, and scientists and as such is the leader and advocate, setting practice standards and guidelines for the field. The Society is committed to advancing cardiovascular ultrasound to improve lives. For more information, visit the ASE website ASEcho.org or social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
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