Real-Time Artificial Intelligence-Based Guidance of Echocardiographic Imaging by Novices: Image Quality and Suitability for Diagnostic Interpretation and Quantitative Analysis.

Background: We aimed to assess in a prospective multicenter study the quality of echocardiographic exams performed by inexperienced users guided by a new artificial intelligence software and evaluate their suitability for diagnostic interpretation of basic cardiac pathology and quantitative analysis of cardiac chamber and function.

Methods: The software (UltraSight, Ltd) was embedded into a handheld imaging device (Lumify; Philips). Six nurses and 3 medical residents, who underwent minimal training, scanned 240 patients (61±16 years; 63% with cardiac pathology) in 10 standard views.

Myocardial Work in Echocardiography.

Myocardial work is an emerging tool in echocardiography that incorporates left ventricular afterload into global longitudinal strain analysis. Myocardial work correlates with myocardial oxygen consumption, and work efficiency can also be assessed. Myocardial work has been evaluated in a variety of clinical conditions to assess the added value of myocardial work compared to left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain.

The association between tree planting and mortality: A natural experiment and cost-benefit analysis.

Several recent longitudinal studies have found that exposure to the natural environment is associated with lower non-accidental mortality. However, most of these studies used the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) as an exposure metric; and because NDVI might not be sensitive enough to adequately capture changes in urban vegetation, these studies might lack true longitudinal variation in exposure. Therefore, we used a natural experiment to assess the impact of 30 years of tree planting by the nonprofit Friends of Trees on non-accidental, cardiovascular, lower-respiratory, and accidental mortality in Portland, Oregon (mortality data were provided by the Oregon Health Authority).

The politics of urban trees: Tree planting is associated with gentrification in Portland, Oregon.

This study evaluated the hypothesis that urban-tree planting increases neighborhood gentrification in Portland, Oregon. We defined gentrification as an increase in the median sales price of single-family homes in a Census tract compared to other tracts in the city after accounting for differences in the housing stock such as house size and number of bathrooms. We used tree-planting data from the non-profit Friends of Trees, who have planted 57,985 yard and street trees in Portland (1990-2019).

Rare and Complex Case Mimics Acute Myocardial Infarction: The Importance of Multimodality Imaging.

We report a rare and complex case of cardiac sarcoidosis in a patient presenting with ventricular tachycardia. Multimodality imaging, along with clinical and histological examination, was essential in establishing the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. ().

Comprehensive Echocardiographic Findings in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients With or Without Prior Cardiac Disease.

Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents with a spectrum of disease severity, the most serious cases requiring intensive care. Echocardiography is a front-line tool in evaluating cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU); we analyzed transthoracic echocardiograms obtained from this patient population with state-of-the-art ultrasound technology.

Methods: All patients with COVID-19 requiring ICU admission on whom a transthoracic echocardiogram was obtained were included in the study.

Focus, Not Point-of-Care, Echocardiography in Prone Position: It Can Be Done in COVID-19 Patients.

• Prone positioning improves oxygenation in patients with ARDS. • Reducing RV dysfunction is vital to decrease mortality. • Prone positioning may assist cardiac function by offloading pressure from the RV.