The December JASE includes, “Routine Use of Contrast on Admission Transthoracic Echocardiography for Heart Failure Reduces the Rate of Repeat Echocardiography during Index Admission,” by K. Charlotte Lee, BS, et al. Mani A. Vannan, MBBS, a co-author on the paper, said that, “Echocardiography is guideline-recommended and the most commonly used imaging test in patients hospitalized with suspected heart failure (HF). The use of an ultrasound enhancing agent (UEA) is recommended in those with suboptimal images. In this retrospective study of over 9,000 patients admitted for suspected HF over 4 years, we show that routine use of UEA regardless of the baseline image quality reduces the rate of repeat echocardiograms during hospitalization and may potentially reduce length of stay.”
Other clinical investigations in this issue include echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac hemodynamics, apical aneurysm detection in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, cardiopulmonary responses during recovery from COVID-19 infection, echocardiographic features of patent foramen ovale associated with stroke, echocardiographic predictors of heart transplant outcome, and normal left ventricular systolic and diastolic strain rate values in children. A NEW JASE section, Imaging Strategies, includes the article, “Lung Ultrasound Imaging: A Primer for Echocardiographers,” from Eugene Yuriditsky MD, et al., which is also this month’s CME activity located in the ASE Learning Hub. Letters to the Editor and a brief research communication round out this issue’s scientific matter.
This month’s President’s Message from Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE, introduces the incredible ASE advocacy team and how they perform their impactful work on a national level to “foster the advancement of the specialty of echocardiography, ensure access to the highest quality of patient care, and create a system that is fair and equitable.” The education calendar outlines a multitude of learning options near and far.
Finally, the pandemic has been affecting the supply chain for publishers, and while it is just a possibility, we wanted you to know that the December printed JASE may be mailed a few days later than usual.