ASE and the ASE Foundation are offering three grants worth up to $25,000 USD to early career scientists in cardiovascular imaging. The Early-Career Development Grant for Echo Scientists (EDGES) provides support and professional development opportunities for early career members in the Society and creates an avenue for the continued evolution of echocardiography through technical advancement and new applications.

The grants will fund projects that address a clinical gap in cardiovascular ultrasound imaging through research led by an early career scientist. Physicians, PhDs, veterinarians, sonographers, and other healthcare professionals who are within seven years from having completed training are eligible to apply now through July 1, 2023, 5:00 PM ET. The principal investigator must be an active ASE member.

The May issue of JASE includes “Prediction of Coronary Artery Calcium Using Deep Learning of Echocardiograms.” Lead author Neal Yuan, MD, notes that, “In this study we showed that a deep learning video-based model was able to predict coronary calcium levels from transthoracic echocardiograms. This could implicate a future role for using echocardiograms, a widely accessible imaging modality deployable at the point-of-care, for coronary artery disease risk stratification. Our findings also continue to speak to the powerful and exciting capabilities of deep learning models, which are allowing us to unlock and discern complex patterns present in echocardiograms and other information-dense imaging data that have been previously unappreciated.”

Additionally, the state-of-the-art review highlights ultrasound imaging of the superior vena cava. Other clinical investigations explore echocardiographic features of cardiac masses and diagnosis, deep learning of echocardiograms focusing on pediatric patients, echocardiographic diastolic parameters and invasive measurements of LV filling pressure in cardiomyopathy (accompanied by an editorial comment), novel roles for ultrasound enhancing agents, also with an editorial, blood speckle tracking for assessment of intraventricular pressure gradients in children, normal values of LV mass by echocardiography, and fetal ventricular strain measurement. Several brief research communications add to this panoply of subjects, such as whether the limited access necessitated by the pandemic affected newborns with single-ventricle congenital heart disease. The letters to the editor will engage readers regarding two prior JASE publications.

Dr. Patricia A. Pellikka, JASE Editor-in-Chief, has written a beautiful In Memoriam article regarding the rich and profound life of Bijoy K. Khandheria, MD, FASE, who passed away in February. Dr. Khandheria was the 16^th president of ASE, and his joy for echocardiography was infused into everyone he met and knew.

The President’s Message from Stephen H. Little, MD, FASE, “The House of Cardiology,” explores ASE’s conversations and relationships with the other numerous organizations that embrace and complement echocardiography, and why this synergy is so vital. The May ASE Education Calendar lists education opportunities far and wide.

Refer five new members before August 31 to receive a free ASE membership for 2024!

Twenty-one members received a complimentary ASE membership for 2023 by referring five or more new members! You could be rewarded with an ASE-branded gift or even a complimentary 2024 ASE membership by recruiting new members this year!

Check out our Member Recruiting Toolkit with templates and tips that will help you reach out to friends and colleagues. Your referrals help create a stronger cardiovascular ultrasound community and increase your network! We can also reach out to your referrals for you! Send referrals (include full name and email address) to our Membership Recruitment Manager, Christine Gil at CGil@ASEcho.org. The best part is, YOU get all the credit! Learn more about our Ambassador Program.

Are you a Medical or Technical Director?

Take advantage of ASE’s Organizational Membership! The Organizational Membership enables your fellows to easily join ASE at the same time and eliminates the need for individual member applications. Additionally, the program conveniently allows all memberships to be paid using one invoice. For more information, please contact the ASE Membership Department by emailing ASE@ASEcho.org or calling 919-861-5574 (press 1 for Membership). 

ASE and the Foundation are proud to announce the Keynote Speaker for the 34^th Annual Scientific Sessions in National Harbor, Maryland. George A. Mensah, MD, FACC, FCP(SA) Hon, Director of The Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science (CTRIS) at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), will deliver the 5th Annual Gardin Lecture, “Echocardiography and the Global Burden of Cardiovascular Disease: The Crucial Role of Implementation Science” on Sunday, June 25. This lectureship was endowed to the ASE Foundation through a generous gift from ASE Past President Julius Gardin, MD, MBA, FASE. Dr. Gardin mentored numerous physicians and sonographers and this lecture series supports his passion for education by providing funding to bring a luminary speaker to the Scientific Sessions each year. Register for ASE 2023 by May 23 to save on registration costs and hear Dr. Mensah’s keynote address!

ASE’s newest product titled Transesophageal Echocardiography to Assist with Surgical Decision-Making in the Operating Room is available to purchase now in the ASE Learning Hub. This 32-page spiral bound reference guide highlights the assessments needed during 14 surgeries where transesophageal echocardiography is used. Members can purchase this product for $45 USD ($65 for nonmembers). 

Some of the topics featured in this product include:

• Mitral, Aortic, Tricuspid, and Pulmonic Valve Surgery
• Coronary Bypass Surgery
• Aortic Surgery
• LVAD Implantation
• Heart and Lung Transplantation
• and more!

Take advantage of ASE’s calculator and algorithm app EchoGuide! The app provides access to over 50 easy-to-use calculators, algorithms, and charts based on key ASE guidelines for use by healthcare professionals providing cardiac care. It has been downloaded more than 38,000 times since its release in November 2022! If you haven’t already, download the free EchoGuide today—available in the Apple and Google Play stores and on the web!

Enjoying EchoGuide? Let us know by writing a review in the Apple or Android App stores. Potential users will benefit from reading about your favorite app features and how this tool helps you in your day-to-day practice.

The latest issue of CASE, ASE’s open access case reports journal, is now available with some fascinating reports, including “Ascending Aortic Aneurysm in an Asymptomatic Young Woman Without Risk Factors” by Amrin Kharawala, MD et al. CASE Editor-in-Chief, Vincent L. Sorrell, MD, FASE, noted, “In an important reminder to all of us who perform noninvasive imaging, the unpredictable nature of aortic disease should never stray too far from our clinical acumen. These authors report on an incidentally discovered 65mm ascending aorta in a young woman without a connective tissue disorder, aortic syndrome, or associated family history. They include excellent high-quality images from 2D echo, color flow Doppler and CT. Although surgical repair was impacted by a series of post-operative complications and a prolonged hospital course, this CASE presentation should serve as a critically relevant proclamation that we have much to learn about aortic disease. Echocardiography remains the best option we have for early detection and serial assessment, and it is incumbent upon us to obtain high quality images and report carefully measured maximal dimensions at every occasion.”

This issue contains two other Just Another Day in the Echo Lab cases, including severe aortic regurgitation caused by AV fenestrations and AV avulsion and embolization as a complication during TAVI. Learn more from reading their details on innovative management. Additionally, there are two reports in the Congenital Heart Disease category and three in the Cardiac Tumors and Pseudotumors category, featuring a study of a young man with Factor V Leiden experiencing a massive LV thrombus after a STEMI. In Dr. Sorrell’s editorial, he furthers his discussion on Doppler, drawing comparisons between the advancements of detection capabilities by U.S. military radar and those in the echo world through tissue Doppler methodologies (TDE).

The editorial also notes key inclusions for a successful CASE report, especially those on patients with a cardiac mass, as the Journal must select from several submissions each month in the Cardiac Tumors and Pseudotumors category. If you are looking for a journal to submit your case report to, CASE is the place. 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 dive deeper into new CASE content.

Sonographer Sound-Off (SSO) is an interactive feature that provides an opportunity for sonographers to share tips and tricks they have learned in their everyday practice. SSOs are posted on the CASE Homepage.

The latest SSO titled, Ultrasound Enhancing Agents and Utility of 3D in Aortopathies, features a case study complete with videos, images, and texts from Megan Yamat, RDCS, RCS, ACS, FASE, University of Chicago. The case illustrates how careful TTE imaging, together with thoughtful use of advanced techniques, specifically 3D, photo-realistic rendering, and UEA, can impact decision-making and ultimately patient outcome.

Do you have an image or video that illustrates something you learned from the acquisition or review of that study? If so, please click here to read the submission guidelines. If your image is chosen, you will receive an ASE guideline poster of your choice and be recognized on the CASE homepage, social media, and in the ASE member eNewsletter.