Echo Northwestern is in its 43rd year and is the longest running echo course in the United States! This year's program will consist of a live virtual session highlighting case presentations and expert panel discussions and we will be featuring even more enduring lectures to be viewed at your convenience. The course faculty consists of renowned physicians and sonographers from Northwestern and expert guest speakers from around the United States. This course will provide physicians and sonographers at all levels with the knowledge and insight into the application of basic and advanced echocardiographic techniques. Topics include valvular heart disease, interventional echo, heart failure, contrast echo, 3D echo, diastology, stress echo, cardio-oncology and more. By the end of the course, participants will have improved skills that can be immediately applied to everyday practice as well as an understanding of future applications.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Explain the role of echo in the treatment of heart failure
• Appreciate the differences in chamber quantification values across different ethnic groups
• Explore the critical role of echo in the management of patients undergoing cancer therapy
• Discuss the approach to starting a cardio-oncology program at your institution
• Discover how to correctly acquire strain images and how to use this data to assess cardiac function in various pathological states
• Discover how to correctly acquire and optimize 3D images and how to incorporate into clinical practice
• Evaluate the role of echo in the diagnosis and treatment of the clinical entities such a valvular heart disease, heart failure and common miscellaneous topics using a case-based approach
• Review the role of echo in surgical and percutaneous treatments of aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonic valve disease
• Assess patients with valvular disorders using the new 2020 ACC/AHA guidelines for valvular heart disease and the ASE guidelines for the assessment of native valve regurgitation, native valve stenosis, prosthetic valve function and percutaneous devices
• Describe the methodology to assess diastolic function using the ASE diastology guidelines
• Recognize difference echocardiographic methods to assess Right Ventricular structure function. Cite the strengths and weakness of these techniques including complementary technologies: CT and MRI
• Discuss the clinical classification of pulmonary hypertension, it's implications for the patient and how echo can help in assessing its severity and guide management of patients with the condition
• Assess the uses of echo contrast agents (imaging enhancing agents) and how to incorporate the use of agents into a busy echo lab
• Recognize the basics of echogradiographic assessment of patients with common congenital heart lesions
• Appreciate the role of echo in the diagnosis and management of pregnant women with cardiovascular disease

TARGETED AUDIENCE

This continuing medical education program is designed to meet the educational needs of cardiologists, cardiology fellows, surgeons, sonographers and nurses who have a need for echo expertise.

ACCREDITATION

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 
The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 5.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

For more information please visit the official event page.