Are You Making the Best Use of Echocardiography in Your Practice?

Echocardiography is one of the most ubiquitous tools in heart care, but advances are changing how and when it’s used. Are you making the most of it in your practice?

Learn the latest from a lineup of Cleveland Clinic experts at State-of-the-Art Echocardiography, Friday-Sunday, Oct. 2-4, 2020, in Cleveland.

“This CME event will be a comprehensive update on a technology that pervades cardiac clinical practice,” says activity director Richard Grimm, DO, Director of Echocardiography at Cleveland Clinic. “We’ll discuss the most current and relevant research studies, new guidelines and noteworthy technical innovations to keep attendees on the leading edge of this field.”

Practical issues, real-world cases

The two-and-a-half-day course devotes multi-presentation sessions to exploring various aspects of diagnosing and/or managing the following:

• Aortic stenosis
• Mitral regurgitation
• Endocarditis
• Adult congenital heart disease
• Cardiomyopathy
• Structural heart disease
• Heart failure, with an emphasis on device therapies

Additionally, to ensure every facet of echocardiography is covered, the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 3, features an array of 15-minute presentations on special topics, such as incorporating strain imaging in practice and using echo in cardio-oncology.

Ample time is allotted for attendees’ questions throughout.

“We will showcase practical issues using real-world cases,” says activity director Brian Griffin, MD, Section Head of Cardiovascular Imaging at Cleveland Clinic. “Expert panels of cardiologists, interventional cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and cardiothoracic anesthesiologists will debate some of the most challenging cases and invite participation from the audience.”

Topics will be explored from a multiplicity of angles. For instance, the course’s final morning is devoted to a dozen different aspects of structural heart disease. “Structural cardiac intervention is a quintessential example of multiple cardiovascular disciplines working together for the patient, to move toward less-invasive treatment options,” says Section Head of Interventional Cardiology Amar Krishnaswamy, MD, one of over two dozen Cleveland Clinic faculty for the course. “Attendees will come away with a detailed understanding of the imaging and procedural techniques and how they fit together.”

Hands-on workshops

Attendees also are encouraged to practice echocardiography skills during optional hands-on workshops on the following:

• 3D image and multiplanar reconstruction/display, with an emphasis on structural heart interventions
• Echocardiography simulation lab focusing on transthoracic echo, transesophageal echo and point-of-care ultrasound
• Incorporating strain, 3D volume/ejection fraction quantification and 3D multiplanar image reconstruction into your practice

Space for these workshops is limited, so register soon.

Who should attend?

This CME event is designed for cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, sonographers, internists, intensive care/critical care practitioners and other healthcare professionals.

“If you’re preparing for initial certification or maintenance of certification assessment in general cardiology or echocardiography boards, this course is for you,” says activity co-director L. Leonardo Rodriguez, MD, a staff cardiologist in Cleveland Clinic’s Section of Cardiovascular Imaging. “Consider it a 2.5-day review session of echo insights that all practicing heart specialists should know.”

“Cardiac sonographers will also benefit,” adds Dr. Grimm, “both from the sharing of technical tips and pearls and from enhanced understanding of the clinical relevance of imaging findings resulting from the case-based format.”

The course is offered in cooperation with the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), with discounted registration offered to ASE members. For more details and registration, visit ccfcme.org/echocardio20. Early-bird registration rates apply through July 1, 2020.

This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Participants may also earn American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) points.