Recommendations for Cardiac Point-of-Care Ultrasound Nomenclature.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) involves the acquisition, interpretation, and immediate clinical integration of ultrasonographic imaging performed by a treating clinician. The current state of cardiac POCUS terminology is heterogeneous and ambiguous, in part because it evolved through siloed specialty practices. In particular, the medical literature and colloquial medical conversation contain a wide variety of terms that equate to cardiac POCUS.

Incidence of Severe Adverse Drug Reactions to Ultrasound Enhancement Agents in a Contemporary Echocardiography Practice.

Objectives: Prior data indicate a very rare risk of serious adverse drug reaction (ADR) to ultrasound enhancement agents (UEAs). We sought to evaluate the frequency of ADR to UEA administration in contemporary practice.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 4 US health systems to characterize the frequency and severity of ADR to UEA.

Impact of an Emergency Department Observation Unit Management Algorithm for Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common, growing, and costly medical condition. We aimed to evaluate the impact of a management algorithm for symptomatic AF that used an emergency department observation unit on hospital admission rates and patient outcomes.

Methods And Results: This retrospective cohort study compared 563 patients who presented consecutively in the year after implementation of the algorithm, from July 2013 through June 2014 (intervention group), with 627 patients in a historical cohort (preintervention group) who presented consecutively from July 2011 through June 2012.

Relationship of Sonographer Credentialing to Intersocietal Accreditation Commission Echocardiography Case Study Image Quality.

Background: Cardiac sonographer credentialing may guarantee baseline content knowledge but does not directly evaluate clinical scanning skills. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of sonographer credentialing status to clinical competence, as defined by image quality of case studies submitted for Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) adult transthoracic echocardiography laboratory accreditation.

Methods: In this study, data were retrieved retrospectively from the IAC Echocardiography application database for all adult echocardiography laboratories applying online from August 10, 2011, to December 12, 2013.

Predictors of Delayed Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories: An Analysis of the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission Database.

Background: Intersocietal Accreditation Commission Echocardiography accreditation involves a broad-based evaluation of a given echocardiography facility's daily operation. An in-depth analysis of the most frequent noncompliant accreditation items provides learning opportunities for improvement of echocardiographic practice and facilities.

Methods: Data from 3,260 facilities applying for accreditation from 2011 to 2013 were analyzed to assess five key elements, each including multiple variables.

Advanced Cardiovascular Sonographer: a proposal of the American Society of Echocardiography Advanced Practice Sonographer Task Force.

Echocardiographic examinations require a well-trained and competent sonographer to obtain proper anatomic and physiologic data to establish an accurate diagnosis for clinical decision-making and patient management. Although the formal education and training of cardiovascular sonographers are evolving, many entry-level and staff sonographers may not have sufficient practical or clinical knowledge of the necessary components of the echocardiographic study for the individual patient's clinical presentation. In many clinical settings, echocardiograms are read after the patient has left the laboratory.