JUST RELEASED: PCHD Microlessons Module 2

The PCHD Microlessons are short web-based, micro-learning activities offering a quick and easy way to access targeted learning sessions on pediatric and congenital heart disease. Module 1 was released earlier this year, and now Module 2 is available for purchase in ASE’s Learning Hub!
The complete educational online course will consist of a collection of Modules—each containing lectures, animated videos, questions, and case discussions on 10 original PCHD topics. Modules will be released quarterly throughout the year, and Module 2 includes these topics:
  • Imaging of Tetralogy of Fallot
  • Imaging of Ventricular Septal Defects
Course content is intended for all levels of learners, but is primarily designed for sonography students, fellows-in-training, and early-career sonographers. Additionally, more advanced material is also available for early- and mid-career physicians and sonographers. Earn 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for completing Module 2. Remember to log in to your ASE Member Portal before purchasing to receive the discounted member price.

Two ASE 2024 Education Opportunities Still Available

Purchase the ASE 2024 Scientific Sessions: Online Library now in the ASE Learning Hub, so it will already be in your Learning Center when the content becomes available on July 24. The Library offers unlimited online access for three years to all recordings from the ASE 2024 Scientific Sessions in Portland, Oregon. Live audio, screen capture with animation, mouse pointer, and embedded videos will be included from all sessions (excluding Learning Labs and DIY Workshops). Remember to log in to your ASE Member Portal to receive the discounted member price of $299! This product does not offer CME/MOC credit.
Additionally, you can still register for this year’s 35th Annual Scientific Sessions Virtual Experience until the end of the month. Register for ASE 2024 Virtual Experience through June 30, 2024, to gain access to more than 40 sessions that were live streamed during ASE 2024. Virtual attendees can earn a maximum of 19.5 CME/MOC points for watching the recorded sessions. The virtual program will be available through the Whova app, the official ASE 2024 program app, through July 16. View the Virtual Program and register today!

Submit ASE 2025 Session Proposals

Planning for ASE 2025 is already underway! ASE’s 36th Annual Scientific Sessions will be held in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, September 5-7, 2025, and will celebrate ASE’s 50th anniversary. On behalf of the ASE 2025 Program Committee and ASE Leadership, we invite you to submit one session proposal for consideration for inclusion in next year’s Scientific Sessions program.
All fields must be completed for consideration. A complete session proposal must include:
  • Session title
  • Two co-chairs with alternates
  • Speakers with alternates
  • Presentation titles
  • Presentation formats
The deadline to submit ASE 2025 Session Proposals is July 15, 2024.

Read the June Echo Magazine

The June 2024 Echo magazine is now online! This issue contains interesting articles written by ASE members, including:
Each issue includes articles or images related to cardiovascular ultrasound that are not research-related, as well as communications from the ASE President, Councils, Specialty Interest Groups, and the ASE Education Calendar. Active ASE members are eligible to submit articles. Echo magazine will now be published bi-monthly (every other month) with the next issue publishing in August. The next submission deadline for the October 2024 issue is August 15. Email Echo@ASEcho.org with questions.

Register for the 2024 ASCeXAM Review Course Live Question & Answer Sessions This Saturday!

Register for ASE’s 2024 ASCeXAM Review Course Virtual Experience to gain access to more than 40 presentations designed to help you prepare for the ASCeXAM. Registration also includes a virtual live component that will take place this weekend. On Saturday, June 22, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET and 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM ET, expert faculty—led by Muhamed Saric, MD, PhD, FASE, and Akhil Narang, MD, FASE—will be available to answer specific questions, review course material, and dive deeper into certain subjects.
Even if you’re not taking the exam, this course offers comprehensive cardiovascular education that includes 28.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Remember: Log in to the ASE Member Portal before registering through the ASE Learning Hub.

ASE 2024 Highlights

A tremendously successful ASE Scientific Sessions in Portland, Oregon, just wrapped. Chair Federico Asch, MD, FASE, and co-chair Eric Kruse, BS, ACS, RDCS, RVT, FASE, welcomed nearly 2,000 attendees from 32 countries for two-and-a half days of learning and exciting networking events. Nearly 500 people also attended virtually last weekend.
Additionally, ASE 2024 also welcomed over 400 investigators from around the world who presented their original science during the meeting. Congratulations to the two investigator award competition winners on their excellent achievements.
  • 2024 Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition Winner, Robert McRae, MD, Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington.
  • 2024 Brian Haluska Sonographer Research Award Competition Winner, Babitha Thampinathan, CRCS, RDCS, FASE, Mohawk-McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Thank you to all the investigators who contributed to this year’s scientific program! We hope to see your cutting-edge science at next year’s Scientific Sessions.
Plan now to join us September 5 – 7 for the 2025 Scientific Sessions in Nashville, TennesseeSign up here for notification when registration for ASE 2025 opens.

In Memory of Arthur E. Weyman, MD, FASE

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Arthur (Ned) E. Weyman, MD, FASE, passed away on June 17, 2024. Dr. Weyman was ASE’s first secretary of the Board of Directors and subsequently served as the 8th President of ASE serving from January 1991 through June 1993. As one of the founding leaders in echocardiography, he advocated tirelessly for international recognition of the pivotal role the noninvasive assessment tool plays in saving lives by quickly detecting cardiac issues in patients from infants to adults. His presence at the helm of ASE and NBE changed the field forever. He will be missed, and we are forever grateful for his service. Read more about his service and legacy.

Catch The Wave of June CASE

The latest issue of CASE is now available with intriguing reports, including “The Complex Hemodynamic Interplay between Mitral Arcade, Midventricular Obstruction, and Prosthetic Aortic Valve” by Taverna et al. CASE Editor-in-Chief Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, remarked, “One of the great values of CASE is the ability to use high-quality echo images matched to tomographic cardiovascular imaging to educate readers about rare diseases they are unlikely to see in their individual clinical practice. This month’s issue fulfills that goal with the report from Taverna that showcases mitral arcade; there are not very many published reports in adults owing to both its rarity and possible under-diagnosis. During the editorial review process, these authors worked closely with section editors who are experts in congenital heart disease to provide readers with very precise descriptions, concluding that this patient likely met criteria for a partial Shone’s complex. They also use very detailed volume-rendered 3D-CT images to demonstrate how the pathoanatomy of this particular mitral arcade is atypical and consists of a double-bridge connecting the anterior and posterior leaflets to the papillary muscles. In summary, the authors rightly conclude that a comprehensive multimodal cardiac imaging approach (CT for anatomy; echo Doppler for physiology) is essential!”

Following that Multimodality Imaging report, authors in Infections in the Heart present a report titled, “Vegetations Lurking in the Dark and the Role of Neoendothelialization,” reviewing the published literature on this potential complication and discussing the possible risk-assessment role of cardiac CT by monitoring neoendothelization in these devices. Over in the Hemodynamic Corner of CASE, there are two reports: one on the importance of spectral Doppler in detecting mitral regurgitation in patients with acoustic shadowing from prosthetic valves, and one that describes the unique mitral and tricuspid spectral Doppler inflow patterns in a patient with non-sinus rhythm. With high-quality 2D and 3D echo images, a case in Rare But Deadly Findings offers a learning lesson to readers about a left atrial dissection after complications of mitral valve surgery. To round out this issue, there is a letter to the editor discussing a previous CASE on a novel transcatheter approach to treat primum atrial septal defects with a response from that article’s authors.

As with all CASE issues, these reports demonstrate the value of quality imaging over quantity. Be sure to read Dr. Sorrell’s editorial as he explores how to maintain this principle in a healthcare environment that increasingly rewards growth and productivity.

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.

Arthur Weyman ASE’s 8th President Passed Away

It is with great sadness that we write to inform our members that Arthur (Ned) E. Weyman, MD, FASE, passed away this morning, June 17, 2024. Dr. Weyman was ASE’s first secretary of the Board of Directors and subsequently served as the 8th President of ASE serving from January 1991 through June 1993. He received a 2001 American College of Cardiology Gifted Teacher Award and a University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Award. ASE’s Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award (YIA) was created in 2007 in honor of Dr. Weyman’s unwavering commitment to research in cardiovascular ultrasound. He received ASE’s Meritorious Service Award in 2012 recognizing his contributions to the field and ASE. Dr. Weyman was also a driving force behind the creation of the National Board of Echocardiography. He served as their first president and remained on their board in an emeritus status. In his honor, the NBE has supported the ASE’s YIA award since 2007.

He completed his medical degree at New Jersey College of Medicine in 1966 and proceeded to his first residency at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York. He then put his residency on hold while he served in the U.S. Navy as a Marine squadron and air group flight surgeon from 1968-1971. Upon returning, he completed a second year and chief residency at St. Vincent’s, followed by a three-year cardiology fellowship at Indiana University, where he was a fellow in training under ASE’s Founder Dr. Harvey Feigenbaum. In 1980, Dr. Weyman moved to Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, where he spent the rest of his illustrious career before retiring in 2022. Named Mass General’s chief of cardiology in 1994, his development of innovative methods, research models and exemplary mentoring led the way for echocardiography to become the go-to assessment tool for heart and vascular imaging. He built the echocardiography laboratory into a powerhouse for research, education, and clinical productivity. Known as “the mentor of mentors,” Dr. Weyman and the Mass General echo lab became the place where countless physicians and sonographers competed for fellowships to train in his lab and learn to be great echocardiographers and leaders including seven ASE Presidents.

As one of the founding leaders in echocardiography, he advocated tirelessly for international recognition of the pivotal role the noninvasive assessment tool plays in saving lives by quickly detecting cardiac issues in patients from infants to adults. His presence at the helm of ASE and NBE changed the field forever. He will be missed and we are forever grateful for his service.

A devoted family man, Weyman leaves behind his wife, Jean, their four children and grandchildren.

Listen to a 2009 interview with Dr. Weyman on ASE’s YouTube channel.

A funeral Mass for Dr. Weyman will be held in St. Paul Church, 502 Washington St., Wellesley on Saturday, June 22, at 10AM. Relatives and friends kindly invited. The Mass will also be live streamed at www.harborview.live. Interment in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley.

ASE 2024 Research Spotlight 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Angie Porter
919-297-7152
APorter@ASEcho.org

Two Research Studies at ASE 2024 Examine Environmental Factors and Heart Health

(DURHAM, NC, June 14, 2024)—A number of factors can determine a person’s heart health—genetics, physical activity, diet, and even the environment. Two international research studies that will be presented during the American Society of Echocardiography’s (ASE) 35th Annual Scientific Sessions, June 14-16, 2024, in Portland, Oregon, examined the effects the latter on the heart.

The first study, titled “Maternal Exposure to Ambient Ozone and Fetal Conotruncal Congenital Heart Defects in China: A Large Multicenter Cohort Study,” delves into the effects of ozone (O3) pollution on fetal heart development. From January 2013 to December 2021, the study examined more than 24,000 pregnant women at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University in China to investigate the association between maternal exposure to O3 and conotruncal heart defects (CTDs), which are congenital heart malformations that affect the heart’s outflow tracts and great arteries.

Fetal echocardiography was used to evaluate fetuses with CTDs, and the research findings revealed that maternal exposure to ambient O3 pollution during critical periods, especially during the periconception period, may increase the risk of CTDs in fetuses.

“To prevent this impact, pregnant women should adopt healthy lifestyles and avoid exposure to O3 pollution during peak hours, which can occur in traffic congested or industrial areas,” says the study’s lead author, Yihua He, an expert in fetal congenital heart disease and the Director of the Echocardiography Medical Center and Maternal-fetal Medicine Center in Fetal Heart Disease at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University. “Additionally, governments and the public should implement measures to decrease O3 pollution, such as reducing emissions from industrial and transportation sources, promoting clean energy, and implementing air quality standards.”

Dr. He emphasized the need for further research to understand the impact of other environmental factors on fetal heart development and to develop appropriate preventive measures.

The second study, titled “Echocardiographic Assessment of Pulmonary and Right Chamber Parameters in Healthy Individuals Who Live More Than 8200 Feet Above the Sea Level: A Colombian Experience,” focused on long-term cardiopulmonary adjustments in individuals residing at high altitudes, specifically those living more than 8,200 feet above sea level (FASL).

The study, conducted in the Andean Mountains in Colombia, where over 35 million people live at such altitudes, examined the prevalence of high-altitude pulmonary hypertension and its implications on the right ventricle and clinical outcomes. Contrary to what was expected, the findings indicated that individuals living above 8200 FASL do not exhibit higher estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) or significant differences in right ventricle dimensions and function.

However, findings did discover a significant difference between the study’s two Colombian cohorts from Bogota (8,612 FASL) and Aquitania (9,941 FASL). There was a surprisingly higher prevalence of Stage 2 hypertension and an increase in relative wall myocardium thickness in the Aquitania cohort. It was determined there is a need for further investigation into the long-term adaptive mechanisms in adults residing at high altitudes, as it may lead to adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

“The effects of pulmonary and arterial hypertension include capillary remodeling and permeability changes that result in pressure load on the right or left ventricle respectively. If uncontrolled, changes can lead to ventricular failure with a reduced exercise capacity and premature death. Therefore, if undiagnosed, high-altitude dwellers could be at risk of developing clinically relevant events,” says the study’s lead author Astrid Lorena Rodriguez, an internal medicine resident at Fundacion Santa Fe, Bogota in Colombia. “We expect our results to encourage global leaders and colleagues to further research long-term cardiopulmonary adjustments to better understand clinical outcomes in this population.”

Both research studies will be presented at the Oregon Convention Center during ASE 2024, which features more than 450 abstract presentations showcasing cutting-edge research on the latest advances in cardiovascular ultrasound and cases illustrating breakthroughs in patient care. Learn more about ASE 2024 and download the conference’s final event program at ASEScientificSessions.org.

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 ASE’s website ASEcho.org or social media pages on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, or Instagram.

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