The February JASE includes, “Echocardiography Provides a Reliable Estimate of Total Cardiac Volume for Pediatric Heart Transplantation,” from Dr. Nicholas A. Szugye et al. Dr. Szugye said that, “Pediatric patients awaiting heart transplant face high mortality rates and donor organ utilization is suboptimal. Size matching donor and recipient using echocardiographic total cardiac volume is a scalable and precise method that can enable more heart transplants in a vulnerable population.”
Dr. Patricia A. Pellikka, JASE Editor-in-Chief, writes in her editorial, “The Left Atrium Makes Headlines,” that “the associations of LA enlargement with chronic diastolic dysfunction and increased mortality in various cardiac conditions have long been recognized. However, the LA’s active and complex relationship with total cardiac performance has only more recently become appreciated. This issue of JASE includes four important papers on LA remodeling and mechanics.”
In addition, other clinical investigations explore risk stratification by echo in pulmonary hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and strain, ultrasound enhancing agents in sickle cell disease, carotid plaque imaging and coronary artery disease, and pediatric and fetal echocardiography. A state-of-the-art review, which is the CME article for February from Dr. Jia Tao et al., looks at the role of the submitral apparatus in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. An invited commentary with lead author Dr. Vincent L. Sorrell addresses “Recognized and Unrecognized Value of Echocardiography in Guideline and Consensus Documents Regarding Patients With Chest Pain.” Several Brief Research Communications round out the issue.
The President’s Message, “The ASEF: Together, We Can Make a World of Difference,” from Stephen H. Little, MD, FASE, is co-authored with James N. Kirkpatrick, MD, FASE, the current chair of the ASE Foundation (ASEF). The authors note that the title encapsulates the mission of the ASEF, which aims to be the driving force for improving health for all through the use of cardiovascular ultrasound. The continuing education and meeting calendar outlines a multitude of learning options near and far.