The American Society of Echocardiography has released new guidelines for performing a comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) examination. The recommendations, which were endorsed by 22 other cardiology/echocardiography societies from around the world, were published in the January edition of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.

The 17,000-member American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) named Jonathan R. Lindner, MD, president of the organization during its 29th annual scientific sessions in Nashville, Tennessee.

A deep-learning software that can automatically calculate left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) with less variability than a cardiologist recently received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

ImageGuideEcho—the first registry devoted solely to measuring quality in cardiovascular ultrasounds— is now open to U.S. physicians.

Automated 3D echocardiography (3DE) analysis using a new, commercially available algorithm has allowed University of Chicago researchers to accurately quantify left-heart size and function in two-thirds of 300 consecutive patients. They conclude the technology can be useful in clinical practice despite its known workflow-interruptive drawbacks—especially when the echocardiographer has the know-how to correct for its shortcomings.

Physicians in fields like cardiology have traditionally looked to clinical practice guidelines to help articulate the best evidence-based care for patients. The rapidly growing movement to value-based care is prompting clinicians—including echocardiographers—to carefully weigh a more focused and integrative approach to delivering consistent, quality medicine: care pathways.

Treating today’s cancer patient no longer means simply targeting the cancer. Given the known cardiotoxicities of some established chemotherapies and the possibility that newer approaches may damage the heart, oncologists, cardiologists and imaging specialists now work together to detect and minimize the risk of treatment-induced heart failure.

ASE says new data may be a “wake-up call” to recognize the value of echocardiography.