The Point of Care
Susan E. Wiegers, MD, FASE, FACC Cardiovascular ultrasound and ultrasound imaging in general are undergoing a technologic and cultural upheaval. If you practice in an echo lab with a traditional…
Continuing Education and Meeting Calendar
The American Society of Echocardiography is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. ASE recognizes courses as supplements to formal training…
Effects of Transthoracic Echocardiographic Simulator Training on Performance and Satisfaction in Medical Students
Simulation-based training has emerged as a valuable tool in the medical field for the development of technical skills. Recently, several studies have suggested that a transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) simulator would…
Independent Echocardiographic Markers of Cardiovascular Involvement in Chronic Kidney Disease: The Value of Left Atrial Function and Volume
Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, particularly ischemic heart disease and cardiomyopathy. Newer echocardiographic techniques such as myocardial strain analysis provides the opportunity…
Mechanical Dispersion Assessed by Strain Echocardiography Is Associated with Malignant Arrhythmias in Chagas Cardiomyopathy
Background Sudden death is one of the characteristics of Chagas disease (ChD). With the development of strategies for the prevention of malignant arrhythmias, especially with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), there is…
Association of Decreased Right Ventricular Strain with Worse Survival in Non–Acute Coronary Syndrome Angina
Background Regional strain by speckle-tracking echocardiography can be used to detect occult right ventricular (RV) myocardial dysfunction. However, in patients with coronary artery disease, the impact of RV strain is…
Longitudinal Changes and Interobserver Variability of Systolic Myocardial Deformation Values in a Prospective Cohort of Healthy Fetuses across Gestation and after Delivery
Background Normative data for fetal myocardial deformation values have not been comprehensively described in a longitudinal cohort. The effect of gestational age on these values and on interobserver variability require…
Efficacy of Reconstituted Oral Chloral Hydrate from Crystals for Echocardiography Sedation
Background Chloral hydrate has been the drug of choice for uncooperative infants and children requiring sedation for echocardiography. Recently, the commercially available liquid formulation was discontinued by the manufacturer, and…
An Approach to Improve the Negative Predictive Value and Clinical Utility of Transthoracic Echocardiography in Suspected Native Valve Infective Endocarditis
Background In patients with suspected native valve infective endocarditis, current guidelines recommend initial transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) followed by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) if clinical suspicion remains. The guidelines do not account…
Right Ventricular Function and Prognosis in Patients with Low-Flow, Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis
Background Patients with low left ventricular ejection fractions and low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis (AS) represent a challenging cohort with high morbidity and mortality. The prevalence and clinical impact of right…
