The 24th Annual ASCeXAM/ReASCE Review Course is specifically designed to help you gain the knowledge you need to pass the ASCeXAM and ReASCE exams. Even if you are not taking the exam this year, this course offers comprehensive cardiovascular ultrasound education. This Review Course will cover all aspects of cardiovascular ultrasound essential to these examinations, including physics, valvular heart disease, strain, and 3D imaging, contract echocardiography, ischemic heart disease, congenital heart disease, and more. The expert faculty, led by Vera Rigolin, MD, FASE, and Muhamed Saric, MD, PhD, FASE, will use case studies and lectures to help prepare attendees for the ASCeXAM® or ReASCE® examinations.

The virtual CME review course will also include a live component. The faculty will host two, two-hour Q&A sessions on Saturday, July 8, 2023, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET and 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM ET.

Register now for the Live Q&A Session on Case 2 of the Critical Care eCASE Series, which will be held February 27, 2023, 7:00 – 8:00 PM ET. Is oxygen delivery adequate? That is the question. This presentation will focus on how to approach the diagnosis and management of severe left ventricular dysfunction. The case will illustrate the use of serial measurements of the patient’s stroke volume and calculation of oxygen delivery. Does the patient need mechanical circulatory support or can pharmacologic intervention be enough?

The Critical Care eCASE Series is a blended learning activity covering three Critical Care eCASES through March 2023. Learners will review case presentations and participate in a live Q & A session for each case. Case presentation materials will be made available to participants ahead of time. Earn 4.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (pending approval) for participation in the entire three-part series. The series is free for ASE members and $45 USD for nonmembers.

We Need You to Help maintain ASE’s two seats in the House of Delegates

ASE works hard to ensure your voice is heard on issues related to legislative matters, regulatory issues, coding and reimbursement. To do so, ASE must maintain the Society’s seats in the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates (HOD). To qualify, 25% of ASE’s U.S. physician members must also be members of the AMA. Currently, we are just over halfway to that goal.

One way to help us reach our goal is to encourage the Residents and Fellows who are ASE members in your lab to join the AMA. The AMA membership rate for that category is only $45. Physicians could also “gift” AMA membership to their Residents or Fellows.

The AMA provides a powerful voice in Congress, the courts, and federal agencies. Full delegate status provides ASE with a vote on important AMA policy within the HOD. ASE delegates take part in the HOD meeting where AMA’s HOD sets its legislative and regulatory priorities based on the issues that were recently considered by the HOD, and these are vast.

It is imperative that ASE maintain our seats. Learn more and see how you can join the AMA at ASEcho.org/AMA.

ASE is currently seeking Course Co-Directors to serve from 2024 through 2025. All ASE members with course expertise are encouraged to read the qualifications and apply.

This application process is for these ASE courses:

• Echo Hawaii (January)
• State-of-the-Art Echocardiography (February)
• Review Course (Late April-Early May)
• Advanced Imaging Techniques Virtual Experience (September)
• Echo Florida (Late October-Early November)

Course Directors and Co-Directors are instrumental to the implementation and success of live courses. Co-Directors will work directly with the Course Director and will have the opportunity to become the Course Director after two years, and in this role, could serve for an additional two years.

Applications submitted will be reviewed by the ASE Education Committee. Recommendations will be made to the ASE Executive Committee who will make the final selection.

All applications must be submitted by March 15, 2023. Final selections will be announced by April 30, 2023.

Questions? Please email ASE’s Vice President of Educational Activities, Christina LaFuria.

Only one week remains to submit your abstract of original science or clinical cases for the ASE 2023 Scientific Sessions in National Harbor, Maryland, June 23-26, 2023. The deadline is next week on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 11:59 PM ET. Begin your submission online today! 

Did you know that ASE holds two investigator award competitions for abstracts during the Scientific Sessions?

• 2023 Arthur E. Weyman Young Investigator’s Award Competition – Open to young investigators under the age of 40, who are no more than five years from the end of their training.
• 2023 Brian Haluska Sonographer Research Award Competition – Open to sonographer (non-physician) investigators who served as the primary investigator on their project.

Finalists in both competitions will present their research during special sessions, will be listed in the final program, and be featured during the President’s Reception poster session. The winners of each competition receive special recognition and prizes.

Visit the ASE 2023 Call for Science to learn more about abstract submission details and benefits of abstract acceptance.

Chance to Win a $100 VISA Gift Card

In addition to supporting ASE’s mission of improving the practice of cardiovascular ultrasound for better patient outcomes, the ASE Trends Survey enables you to share your input on important issues about the ever-changing healthcare environment in the field of cardiovascular ultrasound. ASE values your input!

The survey covers topics including practice management, general equipment and workflow issues, specialized areas of practice, and new and emerging technologies and applications. The survey will be open until February 28. Please provide your name and email at the end of the survey to be entered into a drawing for the chance to win one of two $100 VISA gift cards.

We encourage you to share the survey link with other professionals in the echo community and post it on any non-ASE medical forums. The more who participate in the survey, the better—but remember—only ASE members receive the results! 

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.