New Guideline on Congenital Coronary Anomalies Multimodality Assessment Guideline in March JASE

The March JASE contains, “Recommendations for Multimodality Assessment of Congenital Coronary Anomalies” Lead author Peter Frommelt, MD, FASE, of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee said, “Congenital coronary artery anomalies, both in isolation and associated with other forms of congenital heart disease, have been recognized as having significant potential morbidity and mortality, including sudden cardiac death in children and adolescents. This document outlines specific strategies for imaging of each of the known congenital coronary anomalies, providing cardiac imaging specialists with a valuable resource to improve patient care and foster responsible utilization of diagnostic imaging modalities.”

Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysms: A State-of-the-Art Imaging Review” from Bo Xu, MB BS (Hons) FRACP, FACC, FASE, et al. is also in this issue. Clinical investigations explore contrast echocardiography, predicting heart failure risk from echocardiograms of coronary artery disease patients, topics in valvular heart disease, normal echocardiographic values in specific populations, and echocardiography in children. A pre-clinical investigation looks at how blood stasis imaging predicts cerebral microembolism during acute myocardial infarction.

Listen to the podcast by JASE social media team member, Amer M. Johri, MD, FASE, discussing “Association of Machine Learning-Derived Phenogroupings of Echocardiographic Variables with Heart Failure in Stable Coronary Artery Disease: The Heart and Soul Study” with co-author Geoffrey H. Tison, MD, MPH.

The President’s Message by Madhav Swaminathan, MD, MMCi, FASE, explores what differentiates ASE from other societies. Sue Phillip, RCS, FASE, writes in the Sonographers’ Communication about the Annual Scientific Sessions in Denver, and a special article by Drs. Ritu Thamman, Tejas Desai, David Wiener, and Madhav Swaminathan explores ASE’s Twitter Journal Club and how it is part of the changing paradigm in cardiology education.

Paying it Forward – Dr. Madhav Swaminathan’s March Presidential Blog

Madhav Swaminathan, MD, FASE, ASE President

“A few decades ago, I was offered a training position in another country. I was delighted to accept this offer, but there was one small problem. I couldn’t afford the cost of travel and accommodation for my family and I didn’t want to go alone. On learning about my predicament, an elderly gentleman, whom I vaguely knew, offered to help out. He provided me with the funds that enabled my family to travel with me. I was obviously concerned about the terms of this ‘loan’. While he didn’t ask for it to be returned, it did come with one condition – that one day when I am able to do so, I should pay it forward to another deserving trainee. In his words, he was making a worthwhile investment in the education of a deserving candidate, and hoped that its dividend would to be realized by a future trainee. He had no way of ensuring or guaranteeing that his transaction would reach its desired outcome, but relied on the goodwill and positive impact his act of kindness had created.” Read more here.

Join Us for a Live Webinar on Imaging in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Please plan to join Jeremy James Thaden, MD, Ethan Rowin, MD, and Frederick Cobey, MD, MPH, FASE, for a LIVE webinar on Wednesday, March 18, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET as they review Imaging in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Utilizing Pre- and Peri-Procedure Echocardiography to Optimize Patient CareClick here to find out when the webinar is taking place in your time zone.

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

  • Recognize the dynamic nature of left ventricular outflow obstruction and the various provocative maneuvers that should be utilized in symptomatic patients without significant resting outflow gradient.
  • Understand the role of imaging and echocardiography in deciding appropriate invasive septal reduction therapy option for an individual patient.
  • Understand the role of imaging and echocardiography in helping guide surgical myectomy and alcohol septal ablation.
  • Identify the characteristic features of mitral regurgitation secondary to systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve and left ventricular outflow obstruction versus primary mitral valve disease and its implications in deciding appropriate treatment strategies.

Earn 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for attending this live webinar event. Registration is free for ASE members.

Imaging Experts Publish New Guideline For Multimodality Asessment of Congenital Coronary Anomalies

March 3, 2020, Durham, NC – Experts in the medical imaging community have developed a landmark consensus document to optimize care of patients with congenital coronary anomalies. These defects of the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscles can be an important cause of a heart attack and sudden cardiac death in children and young adults, but historically they have been difficult to identify without cardiac catheterization. However, recent advances in multimodality imaging techniques have demonstrated increasing utility in the characterization of most congenital coronary anomalies in all age groups, and these techniques can complement or reduce the need for invasive angiography in many cases. Recommendations for Multimodality Assessment of Congenital Coronary Anomalies: A Guide from the American Society of Echocardiography provides guidelines for optimization of imaging for congenital coronary anomalies, with a review of the benefits and limitations of the different imaging techniques, including echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging, and angiography. This guideline was developed in collaboration with the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, the Japanese Society of Echocardiography, and the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, and has also been endorsed by 17 ASE International Alliance Partners. Read more here.

Technical Issues with the ASE Member Portal

We are aware of and apologize for the technical difficulties you may be experiencing with the ASE Member Portal. We hope to resolve this situation soon. Thank you for your patience.

Spectacular Attention to Detail! The February CASE Now Online

The latest issue of CASE, ASE’s online case reports journal, is now available and contains, “Misdiagnosis or Missed Diagnosis: Digging Out the “Near-Field Clutter” Artifact in a Patient with Stroke,” from Laurens De Vos, MD, Veerle De Herdt, MD, PhD, and Frank Timmermans, MD, PhD.” CASE co-Editor-in-Chief, Karen Zimmerman, BS, ACS, RDCS, RVT, FASE, writes in her editorial that this case stresses the importance of attention to detail and physics. “In this case, an apical LV thrombus was believed to be the cause of an embolic stroke due to a few questionable surface echo images. The patient was subject to multiple imaging examinations to finally reveal Near-Field Clutter (NFC). They also provide an excellent lesson and strategy for differentiation of NFC.”

The other illuminating cases in this issue look at imaging for percutaneous procedures crossing the atrial septum, masses/thrombosis, and sinus of Valsalva ruptures.

As CASE begins its 4th year of publishing cases that help its readers enhance their knowledge and provide outstanding healthcare for their patients, Karen G. Zimmerman, BS, ACS, RDCS, RVT, FASE, and L. Leonardo Rodriguez, MD, FACC, FASE, would like to thank everyone who is involved in creating such an impactful publication every two months. Without the generosity of reviewers, who take their personal time to review cases and work hard to help authors fine-tune their submissions, CASE would not be possible. The Editors-in-Chief would also like to thank CASE’s publisher, Elsevier, for its excellence in supporting the submission, proofing, and publication process. CASE always wants to hear from readers and potential authors with opinions and questions. Don’t hesitate to email managing editor, Deborah Meyer at DMeyer@ASEcho.org.

Next Twitter Journal Club – March 3

Interact with your colleagues in our next Twitter Journal Club on Tuesday, March 3, from 8:00 – 9:00 PM US EST. March’s Twitter Journal Club will review the latest ASE Guidelines,  Guidelines for Performance, Interpretation, and Application of Stress Echocardiography in Ischemic Heart Disease. Guideline Chair, Patricia Pellikka, MD, FASE, ASE Past President, will join moderator, Ritu Thamman, MD, FASE, during this month’s Journal club.

NEW! As an ASE member, you can now receive FREE CME for participating. Register here BEFORE the Twitter Journal Club to guarantee your free CME.

Follow @ASE360, and please plan to join ASE’s journal club. Be sure to use the hashtag #ASEchoJC for all tweets. Click here to find out when the Twitter Journal Club is taking place in your timezone. If you have any questions on this event, please contact us here.

Join Us for a Live Webinar on Imaging in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Please plan to join Jeremy James Thaden, MD, and Ethan Rowin, MD, for a LIVE webinar on Wednesday, March 18, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET as they review Imaging in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Utilizing Pre- and Peri-Procedure Echocardiography to Optimize Patient CareClick here to find out when the webinar is taking place in your time zone.

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

  • Recognize the dynamic nature of left ventricular outflow obstruction and the various provocative maneuvers that should be utilized in symptomatic patients without significant resting outflow gradient.
  • Understand the role of imaging and echocardiography in deciding appropriate invasive septal reduction therapy option for an individual patient.
  • Understand the role of imaging and echocardiography in helping guide surgical myectomy and alcohol septal ablation.
  • Identify the characteristic features of mitral regurgitation secondary to systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve and left ventricular outflow obstruction versus primary mitral valve disease and its implications in deciding appropriate treatment strategies.

Earn 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for attending this live webinar event.  Registration is free for ASE members.

Registration is Now Open for the 21st Annual Review Course in Boston May 9-12, 2020

Is 2020 the year you need to take the NBE ASCeXAM® or ReASCE® exams? ASE has specifically designed the ASCeXAM/ReASCE Review Course to help you gain the knowledge you need to pass these tests. Learn one-on-one with expert faculty. Practice board questions are given at the end of each session to help attendees to be even better prepared for the exam. Please plan to join us at the Sheraton Boston Hotel, May 9-12, 2020 for this intensive review course. The course registration also includes free access to online lecture recordings.

Download the Advance Programregister, and learn more at ASEcho.org/ReviewCourse.

ASE on the Road

Are you attending the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Critical Care Congress, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists’ Echo Week, or ASE’s State-of-the-Art Echocardiography Course in the upcoming weeks?  Be sure to stop by ASE’s booth to receive 20% off member pricing on ASE’s educational products.This is a great opportunity to have ASE staff walk you through your membership benefits, learn about the latest ASE educational products, and more.