Hands-On Echocardiography (Aug 10 - 14, 2020)

Hands-On Echocardiography is organized by Keith Mauney & Associates (KMA) Ultrasound Training Institutes and will be held from Aug 10 - 14, 2020 at Homewood Suites by Hilton Dallas-Irving-Las Colinas, Irving, Texas, United States of America.

Who will benefit:
• Allied Health Professionals
• ER and Critical Care Physicians
• Anesthesiologists
• Sonography Students
• Primary Care Physicians
• Veterinary Medicine
• Research & Medical Device Professionals

Topics:
• Putting together the complete echo protocol: nothing left behind
• The one simple thing that will take three years off your learning curve and add a decade to your career.
• The secret to quickly getting every standard echo view without having to think.
• A simple 6-step method to understand spectral and color Doppler completely.
• Wall motion and thickening: what really matters and when it counts most.
• LV function measurements completely explained.
• Everything the physician needs to know about the right ventricle and how to find it.
• Valvular stenosis and regurgitation: Who did it and what does it mean?
• The very best way to evaluate valvular regurgitation that even the cath lab can't duplicate.
• The earliest clues to measure pulmonary hypertension: what works and what doesn't.
• How the aortic valve can lead to renal failure: the illustrated story behind interactive cardiac dysfunction.
• The four things to assess below the diaphragm in every cardiac patient.
• Tough-Guy Techniques to overcome body habitus and air: the secrets you were never told.
• How to analyze and document every pathologic finding: taking the right steps, using the right words.
• How to think your way through any Registry Exam question they could ever ask.
• Next steps: How to maximize your first six months in this new field.

Objectives:
Our approach is totally focused on the patient diagnosis.  We are deeply familiar with virtually every ultrasound machine and the manufacturer's rationale behind its design, features and functions.  Even so, no faculty members have any commercial interests or participation that might influence course content.
There is no formal test in this class.  Learners are evaluated continuously and positive feedback is offered throughout.  Upon completion of this activity, you should be able to:
• Describe the normal structural anatomy of the heart and the electromechanical events that control and determine its function.
• Complete a systematic survey of the heart with 2-D and M-Mode ultrasound imaging; document and measure al structures in all standard views and expand the protocol as required to document ambiguous findings or suspected pathology.
• Relate 2-D image anatomy to its correlate M-mode pattern, compare and contrast each method of display.
• Properly judge the quality of acquired data and communicate any limitations.
• State the normal range measurement values for each principal cardiac structure and physiologic function.
• Identify each anatomic region and segment of the heart from any given echocardiographic view; relate it to its usual coronary distribution. 
• Identify abnormalities of resting cardiac wall motion and thickening using standard terminology; classify each according to its clinical significance
• Discuss the basis, significance, and pitfalls of the following measures of cardiac function:
? Ejection fraction & fractional shortening
? % Wall thickening
? MAPSE, TAPSE
? Stroke volume
? Cardiac output
? Cardiac index
? LV mass.
• Identify and differentiate ventricular hypertrophy by the chamber, type, and degree.
• Identify, stratify, and discuss the clinical significance of pericardial effusion in the assessment of suspected tamponade.
• Identify and discuss the image and Doppler parameters associated with subaortic obstruction.
• Demonstrate the technique to image the posteromedial apical fossa and LA appendage to inspect for thrombus.
• Identify and distinguish the characteristics of pedunculated vs. mural thrombus vs. tumor.
• Identify and distinguish the characteristics of valvular vegetative excrescence vs. fibrotic thickening.
• Document and measure the course of blood flow through the entire heart using color and spectral Doppler.
• Correct operator errors to maximize system sensitivity of color/spectral Doppler to avoid the most common false negative findings.
• Define the following terms and relate them to their clinical impact in Doppler assessment of altered hemodynamic states:
? Preload
? Afterload
? Bernoulli effect
? Pouiselle's law
? Valvular regurgitation/insufficiency
? Tachycardia
? Hypo-, hyper-, and akinesis
? Paradoxical motion.
• Based on clinical findings, select, describe the basis for, and execute the appropriate Doppler calculation for a given pathological state, including:
? Expanded vs. simplified Bernoulli equation for AS
? Peak/mean pressure gradient
? Continuity equation
? Pressure half-time for mitral stenosis or aortic  insufficiency
? Color Doppler of mitral valve orifice area
• Pulmonary acceleration time
• Subjective and objective methods of grading insufficiency in all four valves
• E/A ratio, pulmonary vein reversal, tissue Doppler, and MV deceleration time.
• State a concise summary of all findings using standard terminology

Additional details will be posted as soon as they are available.