March on With a New Issue of JASE

The March issue of JASE includes, “Comparing Costs of Noninvasive Cardiac Diagnostic Tests—a Population-Based Study.” Author Idan Roifman, MD, MSc, remarks, “In a large population-based cohort consisting of >2 million people from Ontario, Canada who were evaluated for chest pain, we report that receipt of any non-invasive test (NIT) for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease was associated with a 12% reduction in downstream costs when compared to no testing. Graded exercise stress testing (GXT) and stress echocardiography were associated with the least downstream costs (approximately 20% reductions), whereas CCTA and MPI were associated with the highest relative costs (approximately 30% and 25% increased costs, respectively). Our findings are important from a health policy perspective for the following reasons. First, we demonstrated that receipt of any NIT was associated with reductions in downstream costs when compared to no testing despite the added initial costs of the test itself. This is significant as it indicates that the initial cost of testing is more than offset by downstream healthcare cost savings. Second, given that stress imaging and anatomical testing have been demonstrated to be similar in terms of their related downstream clinical outcomes, our results reporting that stress echocardiography is the least expensive modality are important, as they may lead to prioritization of this test. This is especially important in healthcare systems that do not require pre-approval for stress echocardiography, but may require it for other types of NIT, such as many systems in the United States.”

This issue includes numerous clinical investigations reporting on safety of ultrasound enhancement agents, noninvasive testing for coronary heart disease, Doppler use in valvular heart disease, 3D TEE after transcatheter mitral valve repair and outcome, septal perforator flow in HCM, and LV function in children with chronic kidney disease. Don’t miss a Special Report on multimodality appropriate use criteria for the detection and risk assessment of chronic coronary disease. Additionally, there are two brief research communications—one explores low-dose application of ultrasound-enhancing agents without flush and the other reports on reproducibility of echocardiographic measures of aortic stenosis severity and its impact on severity grading. Five editorials accompany these reports, and a handful of letters to the editor on the topics of mitral regurgitation phenotype and moderate aortic stenosis conclude this issue.

With contributions from Rickey E. Carter, PhD, and David Ouyang, MD, FASE, Dr. Pellikka’s editorial outlines the artificial intelligence content of particular interest to JASE for authors interested in submitting on this topic. In accordance with International Congenital Heart Defects Awareness Day, Dr. Eidem’s President’s Message highlights congenital heart disease and ASE’s efforts to bring education and awareness to this important population during his presidency.

Be sure to check out March’s Author Spotlight to learn more from lead authors Mays T. Ali, MD, and Jeremy J. Thaden, MD, FASE, as they discuss their recent paper, Incidence of Severe Adverse Drug Reactions to Ultrasound Enhancement Agents in a Contemporary Echocardiography Practice. Please see the March ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide.

Upcoming ASE Webinar: March 12

Register Now

Register now to attend ASE’s Women Leading in Echocardiography Laboratories: Challenges and Solutions webinar, taking place March 12, 7:00 – 8:00 PM ET. An expert panel of accomplished women leaders in echocardiography will share their success stories and discuss the specific challenges women encounter in echocardiography laboratories, including gender bias, work-life balance, and professional development hurdles. Attendees will discuss and propose effective strategies for overcoming these challenges and focus on mentorship, skill development, supportive work environments, and diversity and inclusion.

Attend ASEF’s 15th Annual Research Awards Gala

Registration for the Foundation’s 15th Annual Research Awards Gala is now OPEN! The ASE Foundation cordially invites you to attend our Crystal Gala, our premiere fundraising event honoring ASE’s 2024 award recipients and celebrating cardiovascular ultrasound research. Join us Saturday, June 15, at the Hyatt Regency Portland, for a wonderful evening of entertainment, dinner, and dancing.

Please note, Gala Registration options start with full tables and Supporter Level tickets first. Individual tickets at the Advocate, Benefactor, and Patron level may be available at a later date. Questions about the Gala? Please email Gala@ASEcho.org. Tickets will not be available on site. 

Read the February Echo Magazine

The February 2024 Echo magazine is now online! This issue contains interesting articles written by ASE members, including:

Each monthly issue includes articles or images related to cardiovascular ultrasound that are not research-related, as well as communications from the ASE President, Councils, Specialty Interest Groups, and the ASE education calendar. All active ASE members are eligible to submit articles to Echo magazineThe submission deadline for the May 2024 issue is March 15. Email Echo@ASEcho.org with questions.

Echo VOL | 13 Issue 2


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Images from the Heart – Call for Photos

The ASE Foundation is accepting photograph submissions for the 2024 Images from the Heart photo exhibit. We are bringing back this beautiful display and we want your best shots! We are looking for pictures that you’ve taken from the heart that have meaning to you; they do not have to be medical in nature. Think of the phrases, “I left my heart in…” and “This has my heart” when considering what photos to submit. We invite you to share these memories (and tell us what they mean to you) for our exhibit, to be held during the ASE 2024 Scientific Sessions in Portland, OR, June 14 – 16.

Entries will be accepted until April 19. Full submission details can be found here. Give us your best shot! 

Vote for New Officers and Board of Directors by March 24

An important role in your ASE membership each year is to cast your vote for the ASE Board of Directors. Now is the time for you to select the 2024 Slate of Officers and Directors by using this ballot. You may choose to vote for the person nominated or write-in a nominee in the blank space provided. However, you can only vote for one person for each position, and all write-in nominees must be active ASE members. Your ballot must be received by March 24, 2024.

The new officers and directors will be introduced at the 35th ASE Scientific Sessions during the State of ASE Presidential Address on Saturday, June 15, 2024. This session is open to all Scientific Sessions registrants and will be streamed live for virtual attendees.

Are You …Ready For February CASE?

The latest issue of CASE is now available with intriguing reports, including “Coronary Artery Aneurysm Rupture in Kawasaki Disease and SARS-CoV-2 Infection” by Wood et al. Editor-In-Chief Vincent L. Sorrell, MD, FASE, remarked, “This CASE report describes an amazing rapid increase in coronary artery dimensions in a two month old with acute Kawasaki disease. Their images graphically demonstrate the profound changes seen with serial transthoracic echocardiography. The proximal coronaries were demonstrated to increase from normal size to large aneurysms with Z scores of >8 (RCA) and >20 (LAD) on day nine. I was flabbergasted by the massive dilation that occurred [over such a short time-frame] and saddened, but not entirely surprised, by the devastating clinical outcome.”

This issue presents two cases in Valvular Heart Disease, including one involving acute transvalvular MR after bioprosthetic MVR, and a report illustrating unique approaches to the management of acute prosthetic valve embolization including LVAD setting manipulation. Just Another Day in the Echo Lab offers two reports, one exemplifying the potential clinical merit of manufactured ultrasound enhancing agents to reveal the actual grade of MR, and another showing the value of TTE for patients presenting with a clinical syndrome suspicious for an acute myocardial infarction. Finally, a report for Veterinary Clinical Cardiovascular Medicine contains a surgical video with demonstrations of epicarditis and pericarditis in a dog, exploring the various origins of pericardial pathologies. Dr. Sorrell compares the impact of a worldwide pop star phenomenon to the daily impact of echo in this month’s editorial.

Looking for a journal to submit your case report to? We want to hear from you! 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 view more extraordinary work from your colleagues.

ASE Welcomes Children’s Mercy as a New Participant in the ImageGuideEcho™ Registry

Children’s Mercy Kansas City is the latest institution to join ASE’s ImageGuideEcho™ Registry, the nation’s first echo-specific clinical data registry for quality improvement. ImageGuideEcho Registry Committee Chair Jordan Strom, MD, MSc, FASE, says, “We are thrilled to welcome Children’s Mercy as the first pediatric hospital to join the ImageGuideEcho Registry. Their participation will strengthen their already strong commitment to providing quality care for children with congenital heart disease. As the Registry continues to grow and expand, we look forward to working with Children’s Mercy to help pioneer the future of echocardiography.”

As a benefit of ASE membership, members can participate in the ImageGuideEcho Registry for FREE. For more information about your how institution can enroll, email Info@ImageGuideEcho.org or call 919-297-7174.

Echo Hawaii Online Library Now Available

Now is the time to purchase access to the Echo Hawaii Online Library that includes all the recorded content (except workshops) from the 2024 live course that took place January 15-19, 2024. This online activity includes thelatest methods for evaluating ventricular systolic and diastolic function, valve function, pericardial disease, ischemic heart disease, critical care echo, and use of TEE. Additional sessions on the assessment and guidance of cardiac devices, integration of echo in patients with cardiomyopathies, contrast ultrasound for cavity opacification and perfusion, strain echocardiography, and 3D imaging round out the content. This activity does not include CME and is available until January 31, 2027. Remember to log in to your ASE Member Portal to receive your discounted member price of $125 USD.