American Society of Echocardiography State-of-the-Art Echocardiography 2025

Course Overview

The 37th Annual State-of-the-Art Echocardiography (SOTA 2025) was the American Society of Echocardiography’s flagship course for the year. Held in Scottsdale, Arizona, specifically at the Westin Kierland Resort, this event is traditionally where the ASE unveils its newest guidelines and sets the clinical standards for the year ahead.

The 2025 edition was particularly significant for its focus on the “Prognostic Value” of echocardiography—moving beyond simple diagnosis to using advanced parameters (like strain and 3D volumes) to predict patient outcomes in structural heart disease and pulmonary hypertension.

What You Will Learn

The curriculum was built around four core themes: Structural Heart Disease, Myocardial/Pericardial Disease, Coronary Artery Disease, and Interventional Echocardiography. Key takeaways included:

• Right Heart Guidelines: A deep dive into the 2025 ASE Guidelines for the Assessment of the Right Heart, which introduced new prognostic cut-offs for TAPSE, RV strain, and 3D RV ejection fraction.

• Structural Heart Interventions: Step-by-step imaging protocols for transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) of the tricuspid valve and left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO).

• Strain Imaging: How to move “Global Longitudinal Strain” (GLS) from a research tool to a daily clinical vital sign for cardio-oncology and valvular surveillance.

• Hemodynamics: Advanced Doppler techniques to estimate intracardiac pressures non-invasively, critical for managing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

Event Details

• Event: 37th Annual State-of-the-Art Echocardiography

• Dates: February 14–17, 2025

• Location: The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

• Format: Hybrid (Virtual/On-Demand)

Who Should Attend

• Cardiologists & Anesthesiologists: Particularly those specializing in non-invasive imaging or interventional support.

• Sonographers (RDCS/RCS): Who need to master the new cropping techniques for 3D datasets.

• Fellows-in-Training: For whom this course serves as an intensive board review.

• Emergency Physicians: Using Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) who want to advance their quantitative skills.

Why Attend (or Review)

• The “Learning Lab”: The 2025 event featured an expanded computer-based learning lab where attendees could practice 3D cropping and strain measurements on workstations under the direct supervision of faculty.

• Guideline Authors: The speakers were often the primary authors of the guidelines they presented (e.g., the Right Heart writing group), offering unfiltered insight into why specific parameters were chosen.

• Focus on “The Future”: Dedicated sessions on Artificial Intelligence (AI) demonstrated how automated measurements are reshaping workflow in the echo lab.

Topics

• The Right Heart & Pulmonary Hypertension:

  • New 2025 quantification standards (RV-PA coupling).

  • Distinguishing pre-capillary vs. post-capillary PH using echo.

• Valvular Heart Disease:

  • Aortic Stenosis: Flow-independent parameters and sizing for TAVR.

  • Mitral Regurgitation: 3D quantification of effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA).

• Cardio-Oncology & Systemic Disease:

  • Detecting subclinical dysfunction with strain imaging during chemotherapy.

  • Amyloidosis: The “Cherry on Top” strain pattern and diastolic nuances.

• Interventional Echo:

  • Intra-procedural guidance for MitraClip and TriClip.