- Email: [email protected]
ASE 2015: Boston Was Wicked Awesome!
SONOGRAPHERS’ COMMUNICATION ASE 2015: Boston Was Wicked Awesome! The ASE’s 26th Annual Scientific Sessions was held in Boston, MA, June 12–16, 2015. If you were unable to attend you missed a great meeting! We are going to go over the sonographer highlights from two very different perspectives. One is from a sonographer who has been on the faculty of every Scientific Session starting with the first one in 1990. The other perspective is from a younger sonographer who was a first-time faculty member this year. WHAT WE LIKED David: This topic is hard because there was so much I liked. From the ‘‘Welcome to the ASE in Boston’’ session to the ‘‘Lessons Learned Over 140 Years of Echo,’’ by the ‘‘seasoned’’ sonographers (more like 200 years instead of 140 but someone couldn’t add), the Essentials Track was filled with great topics. All of the sonographer speakers did an outstanding job combining educational content with humor. I also loved all the posters submitted by sonographers—that number seems to increase each year. On Saturday, the 6th Annual Research Awards Gala for the ASE Foundation (ASEF) raised over $60,000 (plus it was a chance for me to wear a tie). Additionally the ASEF booth raised $9,561 and the Scavenger Hunt $16,000 for a grand total of $85,000+! For me, the highlight of the Gala was honoring Peg Knoll, RDCS, FASE with the well-deserved ASE Sonographer Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Roberto Canessa, FASE, a pediatric cardiologist recognized as a hero from the 1972 Andes plane crash, gave an emotional, heartfelt lecture about his extraordinary experience. Dr. Madhav Swaminathan, FASE, one of our anesthesiologists, gave a marvelous presentation for the 16th Annual Feigenbaum Lecture. Jayne: I liked just about everything! I like the feeling of being involved, meeting tons of new people, being supported by so many people—my coworkers, friends, and people I had just met! I liked that for most people, it’s a reunion of not only professionals, but of friendships. Everyone was so welcoming and approachable. There was laughter and fun in an educational atmosphere. The opportunity to experience this much is astounding! There were some really great tracks with incredibly interesting talks and impressive speakers! I liked how there was still time for fun. The ASEF’s Heeling Hearts Scavenger Hunt was a great time to see beautiful Boston. The camaraderie and synergy was running high that afternoon! And of course, what’s a game without a little friendly competition going on between teams. WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE David: It’s always a challenge picking which lectures to attend but over the past few years the number of concurrent tracks (rooms) has decreased from 9 to 6. Still, it takes planning ahead and endurance to see talks, posters, friends, and vendors. I leave vowing to spend more time in each area next year. Jayne: I honestly did not dislike anything. It’s very hard to even try and come up with something that was not pleasant. I can say that it was exhausting, as it was a very busy few days with no significant
24A Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
David Adams, ACS, RDCS, FASE and Jayne Cleve, BS, RDCS break. It was hard to split my time between my own talks and meetings, supporting my coworkers and friends for their talks and posters, and trying to attend sessions that I was interested in, let alone to make time for any ‘‘down-time’’ or even meals sometimes! However, even becoming exhausted, it was SO worth it. WHAT SURPRISED US David: I was surprised at how many people came up and expressed interest in participating in global missions. Such great energy to give back and spread echo across the world! Otherwise, I’ll let Jayne take this one—at my age not much surprises me. Jayne – I was surprised by several things. First, I was surprised by how many people were there—the attendance was amazing! I also was surprised by how interesting the sessions and talks were. I was halfway thinking—this being my first ASE Scientific Sessions—that there would be parts that would be pretty boring or ‘‘over my head,’’ but I was wrong! Of course, there may have been some less than fantastic sessions and, possibly a few talks that did not appeal to me (or everyone), but I didn’t run across any! Mostly, I was surprised by how much I LOVED it. SEATTLE 2016 David: Alaska king crab vs lobsters, coffee vs Dunkin Donuts—for many past attendees Seattle has been their favorite host city. Deb Agler, RCT, RDCS, FASE is the Sonographer Co-Chair and Dr. Richard Grimm, DO, FASE the Chairman of what will be another outstanding meeting. Jayne: Can’t come soon enough! Which is funny for me to say, because about a month ago, I was dreading my flight to Boston—and the beginning of what I believed to be a long weekend of stress and anxiety. As much as I wanted to get involved and speak at ASE, I didn’t realize how terrified I would be the weeks leading up to it. But that’s not how it was at all. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I was still petrified to stand up and present. However, once I started to speak and get involved, the easier it became and the calmer I was. It eventually became a weekend of one of my
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greatest accomplishments, one filled with gratification, happiness, and support. So that’s it! Two different perspectives of the amazing Boston meeting. Remember that this is your meeting. We hope to see you in Seattle June 10–14, 2016. Or as Jayne would say, ‘‘2016. Bring it!’’
David Adams, ACS, RDCS, FASE has worked at Duke University Medical Center since 1979, was on the faculty
of the first ASE Scientific Sessions in 1990, and received the first ASE ‘‘Sonographer Lifetime Achievement Award.’’ Jayne Cleve, BS, RDCS has been a cardiac sonographer at Duke University Medical Center for the past four years. She is involved with global echocardiography and is a member of the ASE Membership Committee.
COUNCIL ON PEDIATRIC AND CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE COMMUNICATION Highlights of the 26th Scientific Sessions’ Pediatric Congenital Track The Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease track at the 2015 ASE Scientific Sessions in Boston, MA highlighted the depth of scientific investigation and the commitment to education that is characteristic of the field of pediatric/congenital heart disease imaging. Four important themes emerged as the sessions progressed: 1) the application and validation of cutting edge technologies for the diagnosis and management of congenital heart disease; 2) learning from anecdotal cases that make congenital heart disease so complex; 3) the dedication to mentorship, education, and involvement of trainees and junior faculty within the ASE; and 4) the honoring of our senior mentors and securing their continued involvement in our future. Each day started with case presentations, which included the use of strain in left, right and single ventricular heart disease, how 3D Echo can impact patient management, comparison of cases of valve regurgitation to current adult guidelines, and the most interesting three cases (out of 40 submitted for presentation). The Saturday pathology/echo/surgery correlation sessions reviewed D-transposition of the great arteries and mitral valve disorders, with outstanding contributions from the two invited surgeons—Dr. Charles Fraser of Texas Children’s Hospital and Dr. Pedro Del Nido of Boston Children’s Hospital. Indicative of the broad perspective of congenital heart imaging were sessions on ischemia and infarct, stress imaging, aortopathy, and myocardial mechanics. Consistently popular sessions included Echo Jeopardy, which saw teams from different regions of the country face off against a European contingent, and controversies in pediatric/congenital heart disease. These debates ranged from the practical (focused echo vs. complete echo) to the esoteric (left atrioventricular valve vs. a mitral valve in repaired AV canal defect) to the critically important (is a single or biventricular repair better in a borderline small left ventricle patient). A joint ASE/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging session focused on emerging technologies in imaging congenital heart disease, while the ACHD symposium on tetralogy of Fallot drew a packed room of both pediatric and adult cardiologists and sonographers. Memorable recognitions were extended to Dr. Hugh Allen of Texas Children’s Hospital for the ASE Founders Award, to Dr. Steve Sanders who gave a delightful recollection of his career in the Fireside Chat, and an honorary FASE awarded to Dr. Roberto Canessa, a survivor of an extraordinary experience, for his lifelong effort in providing pediatric cardiology care in Uruguay. His keynote address
Volume 28 Number 9
on ‘‘The Triumph of Human Spirit over Adversity. Resilience’’ was a spectacular experience for all who attended. A record number of abstracts were submitted to the Pediatric Track (a 45% increase from the previous year) and high- Carolyn A. Altman, Piers Barker, MD, lighted the work of MD, FASE, FAHA FASE, FAAP trainees, junior, and senior investigators from national and international centers. Particularly outstanding work presented included comparing pulmonary artery acceleration time to simultaneous catheter pulmonary hemodynamics, comparing non-invasive measurement of end systolic elastance to simultaneous catheter measurements, and the prevalence and associations of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension. As an appropriate end to the sessions, the final two abstracts epitomized the exciting prospects of science in our field, investigating potential fetal causes of cerebral dysmaturation associated with congenital heart disease and the potential beneficial effects of increased maternal oxygenation on fetal left heart growth. As the program chair and program co-chair for the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease tract at this year’s Scientific Sessions, we hope that everyone left with broadened knowledge, information to bring home to their echo labs, and new areas to investigate. We look forward to the 2016 meeting in Seattle, WA!
Carolyn A. Altman, MD, FASE, FAHA is Associate Director of the Pediatric and Fetal Echo Labs and Medical Director of Cardiology Main Campus at Texas Children’s Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Piers Barker, MD, FASE, FAAP is Section Head of Pediatric Cardiac Imaging and Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics/ Gynecology at Duke University Medical Center.
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography 25A
24A Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
David Adams, ACS, RDCS, FASE and Jayne Cleve, BS, RDCS break. It was hard to split my time between my own talks and meetings, supporting my coworkers and friends for their talks and posters, and trying to attend sessions that I was interested in, let alone to make time for any ‘‘down-time’’ or even meals sometimes! However, even becoming exhausted, it was SO worth it. WHAT SURPRISED US David: I was surprised at how many people came up and expressed interest in participating in global missions. Such great energy to give back and spread echo across the world! Otherwise, I’ll let Jayne take this one—at my age not much surprises me. Jayne – I was surprised by several things. First, I was surprised by how many people were there—the attendance was amazing! I also was surprised by how interesting the sessions and talks were. I was halfway thinking—this being my first ASE Scientific Sessions—that there would be parts that would be pretty boring or ‘‘over my head,’’ but I was wrong! Of course, there may have been some less than fantastic sessions and, possibly a few talks that did not appeal to me (or everyone), but I didn’t run across any! Mostly, I was surprised by how much I LOVED it. SEATTLE 2016 David: Alaska king crab vs lobsters, coffee vs Dunkin Donuts—for many past attendees Seattle has been their favorite host city. Deb Agler, RCT, RDCS, FASE is the Sonographer Co-Chair and Dr. Richard Grimm, DO, FASE the Chairman of what will be another outstanding meeting. Jayne: Can’t come soon enough! Which is funny for me to say, because about a month ago, I was dreading my flight to Boston—and the beginning of what I believed to be a long weekend of stress and anxiety. As much as I wanted to get involved and speak at ASE, I didn’t realize how terrified I would be the weeks leading up to it. But that’s not how it was at all. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I was still petrified to stand up and present. However, once I started to speak and get involved, the easier it became and the calmer I was. It eventually became a weekend of one of my
Volume 28 Number 9
greatest accomplishments, one filled with gratification, happiness, and support. So that’s it! Two different perspectives of the amazing Boston meeting. Remember that this is your meeting. We hope to see you in Seattle June 10–14, 2016. Or as Jayne would say, ‘‘2016. Bring it!’’
David Adams, ACS, RDCS, FASE has worked at Duke University Medical Center since 1979, was on the faculty
of the first ASE Scientific Sessions in 1990, and received the first ASE ‘‘Sonographer Lifetime Achievement Award.’’ Jayne Cleve, BS, RDCS has been a cardiac sonographer at Duke University Medical Center for the past four years. She is involved with global echocardiography and is a member of the ASE Membership Committee.
COUNCIL ON PEDIATRIC AND CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE COMMUNICATION Highlights of the 26th Scientific Sessions’ Pediatric Congenital Track The Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease track at the 2015 ASE Scientific Sessions in Boston, MA highlighted the depth of scientific investigation and the commitment to education that is characteristic of the field of pediatric/congenital heart disease imaging. Four important themes emerged as the sessions progressed: 1) the application and validation of cutting edge technologies for the diagnosis and management of congenital heart disease; 2) learning from anecdotal cases that make congenital heart disease so complex; 3) the dedication to mentorship, education, and involvement of trainees and junior faculty within the ASE; and 4) the honoring of our senior mentors and securing their continued involvement in our future. Each day started with case presentations, which included the use of strain in left, right and single ventricular heart disease, how 3D Echo can impact patient management, comparison of cases of valve regurgitation to current adult guidelines, and the most interesting three cases (out of 40 submitted for presentation). The Saturday pathology/echo/surgery correlation sessions reviewed D-transposition of the great arteries and mitral valve disorders, with outstanding contributions from the two invited surgeons—Dr. Charles Fraser of Texas Children’s Hospital and Dr. Pedro Del Nido of Boston Children’s Hospital. Indicative of the broad perspective of congenital heart imaging were sessions on ischemia and infarct, stress imaging, aortopathy, and myocardial mechanics. Consistently popular sessions included Echo Jeopardy, which saw teams from different regions of the country face off against a European contingent, and controversies in pediatric/congenital heart disease. These debates ranged from the practical (focused echo vs. complete echo) to the esoteric (left atrioventricular valve vs. a mitral valve in repaired AV canal defect) to the critically important (is a single or biventricular repair better in a borderline small left ventricle patient). A joint ASE/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging session focused on emerging technologies in imaging congenital heart disease, while the ACHD symposium on tetralogy of Fallot drew a packed room of both pediatric and adult cardiologists and sonographers. Memorable recognitions were extended to Dr. Hugh Allen of Texas Children’s Hospital for the ASE Founders Award, to Dr. Steve Sanders who gave a delightful recollection of his career in the Fireside Chat, and an honorary FASE awarded to Dr. Roberto Canessa, a survivor of an extraordinary experience, for his lifelong effort in providing pediatric cardiology care in Uruguay. His keynote address
Volume 28 Number 9
on ‘‘The Triumph of Human Spirit over Adversity. Resilience’’ was a spectacular experience for all who attended. A record number of abstracts were submitted to the Pediatric Track (a 45% increase from the previous year) and high- Carolyn A. Altman, Piers Barker, MD, lighted the work of MD, FASE, FAHA FASE, FAAP trainees, junior, and senior investigators from national and international centers. Particularly outstanding work presented included comparing pulmonary artery acceleration time to simultaneous catheter pulmonary hemodynamics, comparing non-invasive measurement of end systolic elastance to simultaneous catheter measurements, and the prevalence and associations of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension. As an appropriate end to the sessions, the final two abstracts epitomized the exciting prospects of science in our field, investigating potential fetal causes of cerebral dysmaturation associated with congenital heart disease and the potential beneficial effects of increased maternal oxygenation on fetal left heart growth. As the program chair and program co-chair for the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease tract at this year’s Scientific Sessions, we hope that everyone left with broadened knowledge, information to bring home to their echo labs, and new areas to investigate. We look forward to the 2016 meeting in Seattle, WA!
Carolyn A. Altman, MD, FASE, FAHA is Associate Director of the Pediatric and Fetal Echo Labs and Medical Director of Cardiology Main Campus at Texas Children’s Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Piers Barker, MD, FASE, FAAP is Section Head of Pediatric Cardiac Imaging and Professor of Pediatrics and Obstetrics/ Gynecology at Duke University Medical Center.
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