Title
Special Competency in Echocardiographic Guidance of Structural Heart Disease Interventions
Authoring Organization
Publication Month/Year
February 27, 2023
Last Updated Month/Year
August 8, 2023
Supplemental Implementation Tools
Document Type
Guideline
Country of Publication
US
Document Objectives
Transcatheter therapies for structural heart disease continue to grow at a rapid pace, and echocardiography is the primary imaging modality used to support such procedures. Transesophageal echocardiographic guidance of structural heart disease procedures must be performed by highly skilled echocardiographers who can provide rapid, accurate, and high-quality image acquisition and interpretation in real time. Training standards are needed to ensure that interventional echocardiographers have the necessary expertise to perform this complex task. This document provides guidance on all critical aspects of training for cardiology and anesthesiology trainees and postgraduate echocardiographers who plan to specialize in interventional echocardiography. Core competencies common to all transcatheter therapies are reviewed in addition to competencies for each specific transcatheter procedure. A core principle is that the length of interventional echocardiography training or achieved procedure volumes are less important than the demonstration of procedure-specific competencies within the milestone domains of knowledge, skill, and communication.
Inclusion Criteria
Male, Female, Adolescent, Adult, Child, Infant, Older adult
Health Care Settings
Hospital, Outpatient, Operating and recovery room
Intended Users
Nurse, nurse practitioner, physician, physician assistant
Scope
Management
Diseases/Conditions (MeSH)
D004452 - Echocardiography
Keywords
echocardiography, Structural Heart Intervention, structural heart disease, interventional echocardiography, Echocardiography training
Source Citation
Little SH, Rigolin VH, Garcia-Sayan E, Hahn RT, Hung J, Mackensen GB, Mankad S, Quader N, Saric M. Recommendations for Special Competency in Echocardiographic Guidance of Structural Heart Disease Interventions: From the American Society of Echocardiography. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2023 Apr;36(4):350-365. doi: 10.1016/j.echo.2023.01.014. Epub 2023 Feb 24. PMID: 36841670.