The North East Thames
2nd Emergency and Critical Care ECHO Course
For specialists in Acute Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care and Anaesthesia.
organised by Barts and The London NHS Trust in partnership with Infomed Research and Training,
on Wednesday 29 April 2009 at Conference Centre, Russell Square House, 10-12 Russell Square, London
 

Programme Director:

Dr Tim Harris BM BS BMed Sci Dip O&G Dip Imme Care FACEM FFAEM
Consultant Emergency Physician, Royal London Hospital

The Faculty includes:

Dr Pat O’Callahan, Consultant Cardiologist, Barts and The London NHS Trust

Dr Ceri Davies, Consultant Cardiologist, Barts and The London NHS Trust

Dr Anjana Siva, Consultant Cardiologist, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

Dr Chris Critoph, SpR Cardiologist, King George Hospital, Essex

Dr Mo Thavasothy, Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine, Royal London Hospital

 

Course evaluation:

Please click on the image below to see the course feedback.
This evaluation is based upon 63% return of evaluation forms from 40 delegates:

Comments from Delegates

• Focused ECHO for non cardiologists, excellent content, all lectures delivered well

• Exposure to different machines and faculty with different backgrounds, focussed assessment for acute care

• Small groups, range of ECHO machines, models present

• The practical sessions

• Good focused lectures, well run to time

• Hands on and the way the subject was broken

• Assessing LV functions, introduction, Dr Siva- brilliant tutor. Good organisation, good practical

• Topics covered, hands on experience

• Well structured, cover the right level of content

• Very well organised, focused on the topic, very practical

• Good balance of lectures and practical, good quality of speakers

• Practical ride and hands on approach. Good access to the venue, good ultrasound machines

• Practical experience, relevant to everyday clinical practice

• Enthusiastic capable speakers

• Open discussion, easy approach to the lectures

• Range of USS machines and patients/models

What impact will this event have on your future?

• Huge- I can interpret my scanning very well. I can read the report much better which obviously improves patient care!

• A big impact- we have recently purchased a new USS machine

• SHOCK scans, focussed ECHO

• Improved understanding and appreciate value of ECHO in EM

• Will use it a lot more

• Dramatic change in my practice

• Will include this as part of my clinical assessment

• Hopefully will be able to use the knowledge/skills in my daily practice

• Definitely more confident in performing ECHO

• Will start use ECHO all my patients in depth

• Confidence to use ECHO assessment clinically

• Introduction of basic ECHO into Critical Care practice

• More confidence in ECHO use in A&E

About the Course:

• For doctors with US basic knowledge and some practical experience

• Using ECHO in the assessment of the acutely unwell patient:

  • learn how to use cardiac ultrasound to perform a limited ECHO and provide reliable information in specific areas including left ventricular function, identifying pericardial effusions/tamponade, identifying valvular dysfunction and assessing right ventricular pressure overload

• Using limited ECHO as a useful adjuvant in rapidly assessing patients in cardiac arrest

• Practical sessions:

  • Obtaining the basic cardiac windows and identifying normal structures

  • Assessing LV function

  • Assessing Valvular Function

  • RV Pressure Overload

PDF copy of the Course programme ▼

This one day course is aimed at all doctors who are involved in the assessment of acutely unwell patients and as such is aimed at trainees/specialists in Critical Care, Anaesthesia, Acute Medicine and Emergency Medicine. Echocardiography is a valuable investigation in acutely unwell patients providing information on the structural integrity and performance of the heart. It takes many years to develop a full skill set and provide comprehensive diagnostic information. However, there is good evidence that a short period of training allows the non cardiologist to use cardiac ultrasound to perform a limited ECHO and provide reliable information in specific areas including left ventricular function, identifying pericardial effusions/tamponade, identifying valvular dysfunction and assessing right ventricular pressure overload (massive and submassive pulmonary embolism) (Jackson 2000, Mandavia 2001, Moore 2002, Ranazzo 2003). Clinical evaluation of the prevailing haemodynamic process in shocked patients has been shown to be unreliable (Boldt 1994) and may be supplemented by ECHO (Randazzo 2003). Limited ECHO has also been shown to be a useful adjuvant in rapidly assessing patients in cardiac arrest providing information on the aetiology and prognosis.

This course concentrates on providing non cardiologists with basic skills to assist in the assessment and resuscitation of acutely unwell patients. It is best suited to those who have some basic knowledge of ultrasound techniques. All candidates should read through the lecture and try to visit their echocardiography (or ultrasound) departments prior to the course to maximise learning.

The objectives of the day are for the candidates to be able to perform the following:

• Basic ECHO windows – subcostal, PSSA, PSLA, apical 4 chamber

• Assess LV function and grading the performance as hyperdynamic, normal, moderately impairmed or severely impaired; measure wall thickness and chamber size

• Identify pericardial and pleural effusions

• Observe aortic and mitral valve motion and identify gross stenosis (no grading) and use Doppler to identify significant regurgitation (not quantify)

• Gross assessment of RV pressure – volume overload – RV:LV ratio > 1 (apical view), IVC plethora (>22mm, respiratory variation) and RV wall thickness

Course equipment and technical support provided by: