ASCeXAM/ReASCE Review Course: Virtual Experience

In less than one month, access to all the content for the 2021 ASCeXAM/ReASCE Review Course will be available online. Register today, because beginning Saturday, May 8, 2021, you can start viewing everything on-demand at your convenience.

What is NEW for this course in 2021?

  • Updated case studies and lectures
  • New Board Review Questions after each lecture to help you better prepare for the exam, plus unlimited access to review the questions
  • Exclusive time with expert faculty to receive answers to your questions, different from what is included with the course material
  • Updated virtual platform with high definition video playback

Registration includes 28.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, access to the entire course (including physics and new content), PDF files of all the slides, access to the expert faculty during two live 2-hour Q&A sessions on July 10, and on-demand access until May 2, 2022!

100% of those who participated in the 2020 Virtual Review Course, and took the exam, said the virtual environment adequately prepared them for the exam.

Registration closes July 31, 2021, but the earlier you register, the more time you will have access to the new content that will be available starting on May 8.

Check out the entire program and register today!

Questions about the course? Be sure to visit our course FAQ page for more information, or contact us by submitting an Education & Meetings Help Desk Ticket

April JASE – Another Awesome Article for Your CME

The April JASE CME article, “Association of Left Ventricular Volume in Predicting Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Aortic Regurgitation,” by Vidhu Anand, MBBS, et al, offers some important new insights for AR assessment. Co-author Patricia A. Pellikka, MD, FASE, noted that, “Although the ASE guidelines have recommended that for accuracy, the left ventricle is measured volumetrically rather than by using linear measurements, the ACC/AHA guidelines for valvular heart disease have recommended linear measurements. In 1,100 patients with >moderate aortic regurgitation, volumetric measurements of the left ventricle were reproducible, and superior to linear measurements in their relation to both mortality and symptoms.”

Additional clinical investigations explore cardiac remodeling and progression of asymptomatic aortic regurgitation, mechanical index and preload as factors influencing LV strain, age related cardiac remodeling in young black and white adults, novel echo observations in Anderson-Fabry disease, echo predictors of successful ECMO weaning, and the role of atrial communications in premature infants with PDA. A preclinical investigation, one of eight technology papers in this issue, looks at echocardiographic molecular imaging of the effect of anticytokine therapy for atherosclerosis. Two review papers explore echocardiographic imaging strategies – one to identify celiac and superior mesenteric artery patency in acute aortic dissection and the other on fetal aortic arch anomalies. Several brief research communications and letters to the editor round out the explorations.

ASE President Judy Hung, MD, FASE, writes about ASE’s top-notch advocacy work in her President’s Message. Amy Dillenbeck, MS, ACS, RDCS, FASE, and Madeline Jankowski, BS, RDCS, FASE, share recommendations for successful sonographer onboarding in the Sonographer’s Communication.

The new Associate Editor Corner on the JASE homepage, produced by Jordan Strom, MD, FASE, provides an insightful conversation with JASE Associate Editor Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, about compelling issues.

ASE’s Comprehensive Echocardiography Textbook 3rd Edition

NEW EDITION NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

ASE’S Comprehensive Echocardiography covers the most up-to-date echocardiography practice guidelines and advanced technologies.

Senior editors Roberto Lang, MD, FASE; Steven Goldstein, MD; Itzhak Kronzon, MD, FASE; Bijoy K. Khandheria, MD, FASE; Muhamed Saric, MD, PhD, FASE, FACC; and Victor Mor-Avi, PhD, FASE, designed this 3rd Edition to cover numerous advances in this rapidly evolving field including critical care echocardiography, cardio-oncology, structural heart disease, interventional/intraoperative echocardiography, strain, and 3D imaging. You will not only receive the hard-bound book with over 1,000 pages, but also online access that allows you to easily browse, search, and download content as well as view over 1,200 images and 580 videos.

Login to your member portal and click on the ASE Learning Hub to receive member pricing. Pre-order yours today for the member price of $229.99 USD.

ASE Live Webinar: Adult Cardiac Sonographer Performing Echocardiography to Screen for C-CHD

Join Guideline Chair, Melissa Wasserman, RDCS, RCCS, FASE, and Co-Author Bruce Landeck, II, MD, FASE, for a free, LIVE webinar, Tuesday, April 20, 5:00 – 6:00 PM ET, as they review the recently published ASE guideline, Recommendations for the Adult Cardiac Sonographer Performing Echocardiography to Screen for Critical Congenital Heart Disease in the Newborn.

Registration is FREE for ASE members. You can claim 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

  1. To register, login to your ASE member portal.
  2. Select the ASE Learning Hub from the top red menu.
  3. Register for the webinar here.

By the end of this webinar viewers will be able to:

  • Learn standard pediatric imaging planes to identify anatomy pertinent to C-CHD
  • Become familiar with tell-tale echocardiographic findings associated with C-CHD
  • Summarize the recommended instrumentation, infrastructure, and communication needed to improve C-CHD patient outcomes at community hospitals

The webinar will also be posted for on-demand viewing and claiming CME. Click here to find out when the webinar is taking place in your time zone.

ASE Statement On Prevention Of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

On March 21, 2021, the ASE Board of Directors approved the following policy:

ASE STATEMENT ON PREVENTION OF WORK-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS

The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) advocates for safe and effective working conditions in the field of cardiovascular ultrasound. The rise in the incidence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD) reported in sonographers is concerning and can result in increased costs to the health care system as well as personal costs to the sonographer. All parties including employers, patients, and sonographers benefit from a safe ergonomically sound working environment.  Sonographers, employers, and manufacturers should continue working together to create a safe and ergonomic workplace. Manufacturers should produce equipment that is ergonomically designed and allows for height and reach adjustment as well as lightweight and appropriate grip transducers. Employers can contribute to a safe environment by designing lab workflow to include breaks between scans, rotating shifts to reduce repetitive scanning patterns, limiting portable bedside exams, and providing ergonomic equipment. Cardiovascular ultrasound exams should be scheduled with sufficient time for patient and room set up, use of advanced technologies as needed, measurements, post-examination cleaning of room and equipment, and report generation if applicable. Sonographers are responsible for practicing good ergonomics when scanning, using available ergonomic equipment, and actively engaging in exercises (i.e. stretches) before and after exams to decrease the risk for WRMSDs.

Congratulations to ASE’s 2021 Award Recipients

Each year, ASE honors the best of the best in the field of echocardiography. Join us in congratulating this year’s award recipients. They will be honored at this year’s ASE 2021 Scientific Sessions Virtual Experience.

  • PHYSICIAN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Robert Levine, MD, FASE
  • MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD – Jose Banchs, MD, FASE
  • ASE MENTORSHIP AWARD – Michael Picard, MD, FASE

Upcoming Live Webinars

All About FASE: What You Need to Know

March 23, 2021 | 6:00 – 7:00 PM ET

This webinar is geared toward ASE members who are interested in becoming a Fellow of the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE). Presenters: Gregory Tatum, MD, FASE and Jennifer Warmsbecker, RDCS, BS, FASE

  • Get answers to the most commonly asked questions during the FASE application process.
  • Review eligibility requirements for FASE applicants.
  • Review FASE checklists and accompanying documents required.
  • Cover the benefits of being a FASE member

Women in Echo – Celebrating Echo’s Female Leaders

March 31, 2021 | 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

In honor of Women’s History Month, ASE is proud to announce its newest member community, Women in Echo. Moderator Ritu Thamman, MD, FASE, will lead a conversation with Pamela Douglas, MD, FASE, (ASE’s first female President), Judy Hung, MD, FASE, (current ASE President), Madhav Swaminathan, MD, FASE, (ASE Immediate Past President) and Carol Mitchell, PhD, RDMS, RDCS, RVT, RT(R), ACS, FASE, (current ASE and ASEF Treasurer). The discussion will celebrate female leaders in echocardiography and how these innovative women have not only been instrumental in shaping the field of cardiovascular ultrasound, but also ASE and the ASE Foundation. Attendees will garner insights on career pathways and how their contributions could make a difference in the future too. This webinar is free for both members and nonmembers, so please share with your colleagues.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) State-of-the-Art: Comprehensive Echocardiographic Evaluation Part 1

April 6, 2021 | 12:00 – 1:00 PM ET

This webinar will help you understand the utility of echocardiography in the diagnosis and prognosis of HCM. In addition, the speakers will review when the sonographer or echo reviewer should suspect HCM and what elements of the exam are most important in echo reporting. You can claim 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. ASE gratefully acknowledges Bristol Myers Squibb for their support of this webinar.

Registration for all three webinars is FREE for active ASE members. Login to your ASE member portal and select the ASE Learning Hub from the top red menu to browse educational offerings including webinars.

March 2021 Sonographer Volunteer of the Month

The ASE Council on Cardiovascular Sonographer is proud to announce Carol Mitchell, PhD, ACS, RDMS, RDCS, RVT, RT(R), FASE, as this month’s Sonographer Volunteer of the Month.

“Dr. Mitchell is our esteemed Sonographer Volunteer of the month. She is an Associate Professor (CHS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and ASE’s current treasurer. Carol is the very FIRST sonographer to serve as treasurer for the ASE! This is tremendously exciting, as it demonstrates that sonographers are able to serve on the Executive Committee in any role! Dr. Mitchell was also the lead author and co-chair of the recent ASE Guideline document entitled Guidelines for Performing a Comprehensive Transthoracic Echocardiographic Examination in Adults: Recommendations from the American Society of Echocardiography demonstrating that sonographers can serve as lead authors on ASE guideline documents. The Council is very proud to highlight Carol’s commitment to ASE. She represents us well at the highest levels of ASE,” said Keith Collins, MS, RDCS, FASE, Chair of the ASE Council on Cardiovascular Sonography.

Read more about Dr. Mitchell here.

Adult Sonographer Screening Newborns Guideline: Debuts in JASE

The March JASE contains a new ASE guideline, “Recommendations for the Adult Cardiac Sonographer Performing Echocardiography to Screen for Critical Congenital Heart Disease in the Newborn,” by Melissa A. Wasserman, RDCS, RCCS, FASE, et al. Ms. Wasserman commented, “The ASE Councils on Pediatric and CHD and Cardiovascular Sonography collaborated to provide these guidelines that contain essential information and tools for all cardiac sonographers. This document describes critical congenital heart disease (C-CHD) screening targets and specific imaging recommendations, and the correlating videos show sonographers exactly what is being described. Our hope is that these guidelines will help all cardiac sonographers, regardless of their pediatric experience, to be able to detect C-CHD, and ultimately improve patient care and outcomes.”

A review in this issue covers spectral Doppler interrogation of the pulmonary veins for the diagnosis of cardiac disorders. Clinical investigations explore aortic stenosis, quantitation of tricuspid regurgitation, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, normal values for measurements of the right atrium (Results of the World Alliance Societies of Echocardiography Study), neonatal echocardiography, and impact of echocardiography laboratory accreditation. Two brief research communications and a letter to the editor round out the explorations.

Amer Johri, MD, FASE, and Laura Mantella, MSc, write in the Council on Circulation and Vascular Ultrasound blue page about non-invasive tools to assess cardiovascular risk. Take a look at the Education Calendar to see what virtual events you may fly to in your mind, and take part in on your computer.

Read the new Associate Editor Corner on the JASE homepage, produced by Jordan Strom, MD, FASE. In this inaugural interview, he talks with JASE Associate Editor Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, about a variety of compelling issues.

UEA Task Force Publishes Laboratory Practices Document

The annual ASE Industry Roundtable Partner Think Tank and Retreat provides the opportunity for ASE volunteer leaders and representatives from a diverse number of corporate partners (pharmaceutical, device, technology, etc.) to meet to solve common problems and share insights from echocardiography

research and initiatives. One result of these meetings was the creation of an Ultrasound Enhancing Agent (UEA) Task Force. The Task Force, chaired by ASE past president Jonathan R. Lindner, MD, FASE, recently completed the publication of Ultrasound Enhancing Agents: Recommended Laboratory Practices from ASE. Contrast echocardiography is now considered, by ASE and imaging societies worldwide, to be an indispensable part of the practice of echocardiography. This document was created for administrators and clinicians as a how-to manual aimed at the indications and protocols related to UEA studies. It contains a synopsis of information for facilitating laboratory, clinic, or hospital policy decisions regarding the practice of contrast echocardiography. Information is also provided on contrast storage, administration, consent policies, billing, and safety.

Special thanks to Dr. Lindner and the other members of the UEA Task Force including: James Hodovan, MS, RDCS (AE, PE), CVT; Sharon Mulvagh, MD, FASE, FRCP(C), FACC; Margaret M. Park, BS, ACS, RDCS, RVT, FSDMS, FASE; Thomas R. Porter, MD, FASE; G. Monet Strachan, ACS, RDCS, FASE; and Kevin S. Wei, MD, FASE.

ASE President Judy Hung, MD, FASE, shares more about how the synergistic relationship between ASE and our corporate partners is creating a brighter future for echocardiography and patient care in her March President’s Message published in JASE today.