The March JASE includes, “Trends in Utilization and Yield of Inpatient Transthoracic Echocardiography for Syncope: Impact of Cardiac Biomarkers,” by Linda Lee, MD, et al. Dr. R. Parker Ward, MD, senior author on the paper, said, “Current guidelines advise selective use of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the inpatient evaluation of syncope. Cardiac biomarkers, such as high sensitivity troponin, are found to effectively stratify the likelihood of abnormal TTEs in syncope patients, and suggest TTE utilization beyond current guidelines may be useful.”
Clinical investigations in this issue explore speckle tracking echocardiography for coronary artery disease detection, echocardiographic assessment of the aortic root (with an editorial on the same subject), echocardiographic markers of mortality risk using an echo-modified Killip score, ventricular function after acute COVID-19 infection, manipulation of left heart function by exogenous ketones, and prenatal diagnosis of vascular ring overview. In addition to the Brief Research Communication from Lee et al., another one is included titled, “Repetitive Squat-to-Stand Provocation of Dynamic Left Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy,” by Peng et al. A correction is also published in this issue for “Mitral Annular Calcification and Calcific Mitral Stenosis: Role of Echocardiography in Hemodynamic Assessment and Management,” by Silbiger, MD, et al., which appeared in the September 2021 JASE.
The March CME article is “Aortic Root Anatomy is Related to the Bicuspid Aortic Valve Phenotype,” by Milleron, MD, et al.
The President’s Message from Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE, explores the activities of his first six months of his tenure during extraordinary global challenges. The continuing education and meeting calendar outlines a multitude of learning options near and far.