Archives for May 2023

September 30 – October 1, 2023

Calling all Sonographers: Save the date for the 2nd Annual Echo in Pediatric & Congenital Heart Disease Virtual Experience! This two-day virtual course will take place September 30 – October 1, 2023, and contain echo-specific education for the pediatric community.

Learn about established and emerging cardiovascular ultrasound technologies, clinical care, and practical considerations in children and adults with congenital heart disease. Registration will open June 2023, and participants can earn up to 12 CME credits.

ASE has surpassed 10,000 followers on its LinkedIn Company Page! Thank you for your support in helping us reach this social media milestone. Did you know there are two ways to connect and engage with ASE on LinkedIn? Follow our LinkedIn Company Page to stay in-the-know about the latest ASE happenings and offerings, and request to join our LinkedIn Group page to collaborate with nearly 29,000 members from the cardiovascular ultrasound community.

Get Social with ASE!

You can also connect with ASE on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

October 7-9, 2023, at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts in Florida

Join us live, in-person for ASE’s 11th Annual Echo Florida course that will take place October 7-9, 2023, at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This course offers a comprehensive review of cardiovascular ultrasound and includes dedicated sessions on cardiomyopathies, coronary artery disease (including stress testing), valvular heart disease, pericardial disease, heart failure, emerging technologies, complex congenital heart disease and case-based demonstrations on the role of 2D, and real time 3D/4D echocardiography, as well as strain imaging. Attendees can earn up to 23.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™

Accommodations: ASE has secured a block of rooms at a discounted rate of $315 per night plus tax (based on single/double occupancy) at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resort. Learn more and book your room.

Free for ASE Members

The Critical Care eCASE Series was a new blended online learning activity offered by ASE that is now available On Demand in the ASE Learning Hub. The flipped learning style allowed registrants to review a case prior to a live Q&A session, where an expert panel and the participants discussed the interpretation of the case and how they might approach diagnosis and treatment. This activity includes three recorded Critical Care eCASES. All clinical providers interested in POCUS in regards to its use in diagnosing and managing critically ill patients are encouraged to check out the series!

The three cases covered are titled:

1. Case 1: Is it cardiac tamponade or not? That is the question.
2. Case 2: Is oxygen delivery adequate? That is the question.
3. Case 3: Does the patient need a transesophageal echo, TEE? That is the question.

This activity is free for ASE members and $45 for nonmembers. Earn 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (pending approval) for participation in the entire three-part series.

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!