Two recent Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia articles on perioperative echocardiography by Kathirvel Subramaniam, MD, MPH, FASE, et al. were the topic of editorials.
The article “An Approach to Standard Perioperative Transthoracic Echocardiography Practice for Anesthesiologists-Perioperative Transthoracic Echocardiography Protocols” (Subramaniam K, Subramanian H, Knight J, Mandell D, McHugh SM. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2021 Sep 8:S1053-0770(21)00786-2) proposes a foundation for building a standardized transthoracic echocardiography exam for perioperative physicians. An accompanying editorial on the article, “Perioperative Transthoracic Echocardiography – Thoughtful Design and Delivery of Standardized Imaging Protocols for Anesthesiology Teams,” called their proposal “an important step forward to address the required standards for this diagnostic modality in the perioperative period” and stated that “Subramaniam and colleagues should be congratulated for highlighting a comprehensive framework for standardizing the transthoracic echocardiography across the perioperative spectrum to improve uptake, quality and ultimately, patient care.”
A second article, “Basic Transesophageal Echocardiography Education for Senior Anesthesiology Residents-Institutional Experience” (Subramaniam K, Gelzinis TA, Lazar S, Bains S, Ball RD, Metro DG. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2021 Aug 14:S1053-0770(21)00684-4), presents the outcomes of the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) didactic curriculum in our department as measured by the rate at which participating residents obtained basic TEE certification and the percentage of graduates who continued to use TEE in their regular practice. This work was discussed in the accompanying editorial “An Unsentimental Education: How Should We Be Teaching Perioperative Echocardiography?”