Make Most of May with JASE

The May JASE issue is now online and features an Original Investigation “Impact of a Non-interruptive Echocardiogram Report-Embedded Nudge on Rates of Referral to Cardiac Specialty Care and Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis: A Multicenter Intervention“. Regarding this paper, author Marielle Scherrer-Crosbie MD, PhD, FASE, remarked, “In a multicenter study across three diverse U.S. health systems, an automated, non-interruptive, scalable, a nudge embedded within the echocardiography reports improved referral to cardiac specialty care and treatment in patients with newly diagnosed severe AS, particularly among non-cardiac specialty providers. In these providers, referral to cardiology within 90 days (89% to 96%, p<0.001), and AVR within 6 months were higher post-nudge (33% to 39%, p=0.016). These findings support the role of non-interruptive, automated nudges in standardizing guidelines-based care in severe AS.”

Accompanying this article is an editorial comment titled “A Nudge in the Right Direction: Improving Care Pathways in Severe Aortic Stenosis,” that puts into perspective how simple, EHR-embedded “nudges” can improve referral rates for severe aortic stenosis. This issue’s original investigations incorporate a variety of topics including Doppler assessment of pulmonary artery pressure, left ventricular diastolic function, and echocardiography in Kawasaki Disease. Brief research communications concern left ventricular myocaridal work and LMNA cardiomyopathy. One correspondence details how replacing the term “left ventricular hypertrophy” with “increased wall thickness” in echocardiography reporting could improve diagnostic accuracy, standardization, and earlier recognition of disease.

Readers can also look forward to a new guideline titled, “Recommendations for the Identification and Mitigation of Cardiac Ultrasound Artifacts: A Guideline from the American Society of Echocardiography.” This guideline outlines the standardized approach to identifying, understanding, and managing cardiac artifacts to reduce misdiagnosis and improve clinical interpretation across all echocardiographic modalities.

In this month’s President’s Message, ASE President David Wiener, MD, FASE, emphasizes the ways that ASE echoes around the globe and explores the Society’s worldwide impact.

Please see the May ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide.