The September JASE includes, “Natural History of Mitral Annular Calcification and Calcific Mitral Valve Disease,” from Drs. Willner, Burwash, Beauchesne, Chan, Vulesevic, Ascah, Toutinho, Promislow, Stadnick, Chan, Mesana, and Messika-Zeitoun.

Willner et al. graphic abstract.

Dr. Messika-Zeitoun noted, “Mitral severe annular calcification (MAC) and calcific mitral valve disease (CMVD) are common and progressive diseases, but their natural history remained poorly defined. In this large cohort of patients with paired echocardiograms, we showed progression to severe MAC was common and frequently results in CMVD with higher progression rates observed in women suggesting sex-differences in MAC/CMVD pathophysiology. The challenges posed by MAC for both transcatheter and surgical interventions and the observation that most patients with CMVD are left conservatively managed irrespective of their functional status underline the importance of better understanding the pathophysiology of MAC and CMVD and of developing effective preventive medical therapies.”

Two other clinical investigations also look at echocardiography in mitral valve disease. Additional clinical investigations explore strain echocardiography in aortic stenosis, the value of echocardiography in evaluation of dyspnea, 3D echocardiography assessment of atrioventricular coupling in infants and children, and open-source software used in the visualization and quantification of the unrepaired complete atrioventricular canal valve in children. A Special Article, “Practical Points for Echocardiography in Cardiac Amyloidosis,” was created by the ASE Amyloidosis Task Force as an accompaniment to the recently published multisociety Expert Consensus Recommendations for Multimodality Imaging in Cardiac Amyloidosis. A review article looks at cardiac imaging for diagnosis and management of infective endocarditis, and this issue also includes Dr. Denisa Muraru’s 22nd Annual Feigenbaum Lecture that was given at the 2021 ASE Scientific Sessions.

A brief research communication, editorials, and correspondence round out the issue. The President’s Message from Stephen H. Little, MD, FASE, with guest writer David H. Wiener, MD, FASE, elucidates ASE’s initiative to create living guidelines. The continuing education and meeting calendar outlines a multitude of learning options near and far.

In honor of the founder and first president of ASE, Harvey Feigenbaum, MD, FASE, this lectureship is awarded to a young investigator in recognition of their significant contribution to research in the field and their potential to continue at a high level of achievement.

The deadline to submit nominations for the 2023 Feigenbaum Lecturer is November 30, 2022. The Feigenbaum Lecture is presented in a keynote session room during ASE’s Annual Scientific Sessions in June. This is a prestigious award with a great lineage. Five of ASE’s presidents have been Feigenbaum Award winners. Nominate someone today!

Calling all investigators! Starting September 1, submit your basic or clinical research for a chance to present at the 32nd Annual Echo Hawaii meeting in January 2023!

Submissions are free, and authors chosen to present save $100 on their conference registration. Authors with accepted abstracts will also be entered into a poster competition and have the opportunity to briefly present their key findings for commentary from our internationally renowned faculty. A “Best Poster Prize” will be awarded based on the moderators’ selection.

Visit the this page page to review all the submission details for 2023’s Call for Science on the Big Island! The submission deadline is Friday, October 28, 2022, at 11:59 PM ET.

With in-person conferences and meetings back in full swing, ASE has a busy exhibit schedule planned for the remainder of the year.

We always enjoy connecting and catching up with members during conferences and meetings.

Make plans to visit ASE’s booth at these upcoming events:

European Society of Cardiology Congress
August 26-29, 2022
Barcelona, Spain

American Association of Nurse Practitioners
September 15-18, 2022
Anaheim, California

Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) Conference
September 16-19, 2022
Boston, Massachusetts

Heart Failure Society Annual Scientific Meeting
September 30-October 3, 2022
National Harbor, Maryland

American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly
October 1-4, 2022
San Francisco, California

Society of Critical Care Medicine Critical Care Echocardiography Review Course
November 7-9, 2022
Rosemont, Illinois

The ASE 2022 Scientific Sessions: Online Library is available to purchase in the ASE Learning Hub.

The Library includes unlimited online access for three years to all live, in-person sessions presented in Seattle at the 2022 Scientific Sessions. You won’t want to miss special sessions like Pediatric Echo Jeopardy, ShowCASE, and Women in Echo. The Feigenbaum, Gardin, Kerber, and Edler lectures are all included in the Library.

CME/MOC credits, as well as DIY workshops, Chalk Talks, Learning Labs, and on-demand content, are not included with the Online Library.

ASE Members: Remember to login to the ASE Member Portal receive special reduced pricing.

The August JASE includes, “Longitudinal Arrhythmic Risk Assessment Based on Ejection Fraction in Patients with Recent-Onset Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy,” by Giulia De Angelis, MD, Marco Merlo, MD, Giulia Barbati, PhD, Silvia Bertolo, MD, Antonio De Luca, MD, Federica Ramani, MSc, Luigi Adamo, MD, PhD, and Gianfranco Sinagra, MD, FESC.

Dr. De Angelis noted that, “In our study conducted on non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy patients, we found that significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) occurs up to 24 months after initiation of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT). LVEF ≤35% identified patients with an increased risk of life-threatening arrhythmias at 24 months but not at earlier time points. The risk of life-threatening arrhythmias was low in the first six months after initiation of GDMT and remained low in patients who experienced an early reduction in left ventricular diameters in response to GDMT.”

Additional clinical investigations explore echocardiographic risk assessment in moderate aortic stenosis, tricuspid regurgitation and outcomes, left and right atrial structure and function in various diseases, LV diastolic flow characteristics and aneurysm formation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, LV strain in myocarditis in children and adolescents, and machine learning to enhance diastolic function assessment in children. A Special Article highlighting the March ASE “Artificial Intelligence Forum: Echo Workflow for the Future,” gives readers much to consider about the exciting future of AI and echo.

Brief research communications and correspondence round out the issue.

The President’s Message from Stephen H. Little, MD, FASE, details ASE’s Advocacy impact and its commitment to caretaking the future of echocardiography on the national level. The continuing education and meeting calendar outlines a multitude of learning options near and far.

The latest issue of CASE, ASE’s open access case reports journal, is available, with more great educational material to keep you sharp during the summer heat. One example is the case from Murata et al, Severe Aortic Regurgitation by Nonbacterial Thrombotic Endocarditis Treated with Anticoagulation Therapy. CASE Editor-in-Chief Dr. Vincent Sorrell noted, “This is a wonderfully illustrative CASE from this team of authors in Japan, who demonstrated that sometimes anticoagulation therapy alone can treat severe aortic regurgitation. These authors recognized early that the etiology for AR was non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis and were able to treat the underlying disease and avoid surgical intervention.”

Additionally, this issue includes new subsections; the Hemodynamic Corner includes reports on effusive-constrictive pericarditis and platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome, while the Critical Care Echocardiography section features ECMO and RV strain. The Congenital Heart Disease section highlights the value of TEE for complex decision making. Finally, the Just Another Day in the Echo Lab section has a report from Cotella et al, about which Dr. Sorrell said, “The chest CT scan for the ‘coconut atrium’ as a result of rheumatic LA inflammation and resultant massive atrial wall calcification is simply amazing.”

CASE offers a variety of submission options for authors in addition to case reports, such as Letters to the Editor, Unlock the CASE, and the Sonographer Sound-Off. Check out CASE’s Author Information for details.

Finally, a reminder to sonographers that the ASE Council on Cardiovascular Sonography Steering Committee issued a challenge recently to ASE sonographer members around the world to submit cases to CASE as lead author. The first ten articles accepted will have their processing fee waived (valued up to $950 per accepted case). Three sonographer-led papers have already been accepted and were awarded this waiver. Submit your case to have a chance to earn one of the remaining seven waivers! Email Debbie Meyer, Director of Publications (JASE, CASE), or Andie Piddington, Deputy Managing Editor (JASE, CASE), with any questions or to request a case-writing mentorship from an ASE sonographer.

Since the publication of the recommendations for multimodality cardiovascular imaging of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in 2011, an impressive growth and evolution of imaging techniques has occurred, enhancing both the recognition and management of the disease. Thus, an update was needed to provide recommendations that take into account these recent developments. Register for the Multimodality Cardiovascular Imaging of Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy live webinar, scheduled for Thursday, July 28, from 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET on Zoom.

Lead author Sherif Nagueh, MD, FASE, will show how multimodality imaging plays a crucial role in the initial evaluation of patients with known or suspected HCM.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to use multimodality imaging for patients with increased LV wall thickness
• Demonstrate the assessment of dynamic obstruction, including provocable gradients and mitral valve anatomy
• Implement multimodality imaging for risk stratification and prognostication
• Use multimodality imaging for the assessment of ischemia and coronary artery disease

Attendees can earn 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ (pending approval) for attending this webinar. Registration for this webinar is FREE for ASE members (remember to login to your ASE Member portal) and costs $25 USD for nonmembers.

Register today for the Inaugural Echo in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease Virtual Experience.

During this two-day virtual course, Expert U.S. and international physician and sonographer faculty will present the latest information on established and emerging cardiovascular ultrasound technologies, clinical care, and practical considerations in children and adults with congenital heart disease. Case-based approaches and state-of-the-art review are both used to discuss new and established uses of echocardiography for diagnosis and guiding management in patients with a broad array of congenital cardiovascular conditions.

Topics include:

• Unrepaired ACHD
• Cutting-edge functional analysis
• Imaging in high stakes environments
• Contemporary approaches to left heart valve disease
• Happy & Healthy: A Resiliency/Well Being Session
• Exciting debates on fetal and research echocardiography
• And many more. Check out the program agenda!

Registration includes a maximum of 16.5 CME/MOC credits (pending approval) for attending the live virtual course and completing the on-demand content. Attendees will have access to on-demand content for 90 days from Monday, September 19, 2022, to Sunday, December 11, 2022.

On July 7, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY 2023 proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Rule. This proposed rule announces and solicits public comments on the proposed policy changes for Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), and other Medicare Part B issues, for services effective on or after January 1, 2023. Comments will be accepted until September 6, 2022. ASE is beginning our analysis of the Proposed Rule and will provide a summary analysis and fee schedule impacts for members promptly.