Two new guidelines in the August issue of JASE (Available online now!)

Marti L. McCullough, MBA, BS, RDCS, FASE, writes in the August JASE Sonographer’s Communication that “Transesophaegeal echocardiography in angiography and surgical suites is continuing to increase and as a result, sonographers are spending more time in areas that emit a lot of radiation. Additionally, in many facilities, scanning patients recently injected with a radioisotope is part of the daily routine. These activities increase sonographer exposure to radiation.” To meet the concerns of our membership regarding this trend, ASE created a writing group of experts, chaired by Elizabeth F. McIlwain, MHS, RDCS, RCS, FASE. The resulting document appears in this month’s JASE. “Radiation Safety for the Cardiac Sonographer: Recommendations of the Radiation Safety Writing Group for the Council on Cardiovascular Sonography of the American Society of Echocardiography” includes basic radiation principles, sources of radiation for the sonographer, personal protection techniques, regulatory and administrative issues, and policy development/recommendations.

Also in this issue is an updated version of the 2001 guideline on contrast echocardiography. “Guidelines for the Cardiac Sonographer in the Performance of Contrast Echocardiography: A Focused Update from the American Society of Echocardiography,” covers current physics/instrumentation, how to implement contrast administration policy/establishing intravenous access, current contrast ejection and infusion safety, and relevant recommended initiatives including rebranding “contrast echo” to “enhanced echo.” Don’t miss JASE’s 11 clinical investigations including “Left Ventricular Functional Recovery and Remodeling in Low-Flow Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation” by Vasileios Kamperidis et al.

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