Cardiology III

Name: Cardiology III
Start: 2025-10-01T00:00:00+02:00
End: 2025-10-05T23:59:59+02:00
Location: Warsaw, Poland

Registration open

Program Director:

Univ. Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wess DACVIM, DECVIM-CA (DE)

Principal Course Master:

Univ. Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wess DACVIM, DECVIM-CA (DE)

Course Overview

This veterinary course is designed to give the practitioner a basic understanding of small animal echocardiography. Major topics include ultrasound principles, normal cardiac anatomy and physiology, techniques for achieving quality results, case presentations of important diseases and hands-on scanning of normal dogs.
Skills taught in this course include further-on pulse wave Doppler, continuous wave Doppler, color flow Doppler, special measurements and calculations and applying the Bernoulli equation to clinical cases.
The participants will rotate in the afternoon in hands-on sessions through different stations with experienced instructors where individual coaching of how to obtain echocardiographic views and measurements taught in the morning lectures is the main focus.
The ECHO-Lab station focuses on pattern recognition and will present computer based Echo case presentations of clinical cases that will be solved interactive by the participants guided by an instructor. Therefore many important cardiac diseases will be seen by the participants.

Course objectives

At the end of this course, the participant will be able to:

Discuss, identify and perform a complete diagnostic study from the right and left
hemithorax.
Measure 2D, M-mode and Doppler echocardiograms to quantify cardiac size
and function.
Compare and contrast the usefulness of 2D and M-mode Echocardiography, and of
PW, CW and color Doppler.
Recognize clinical uses of Doppler for estimation of intravascular pressures.
Describe a complete Doppler examination and obtain Doppler derived flow signals
from the heart and great vessels.
Discuss use of echo and Doppler in recognition, staging and management of
congenital and acquired heart disease.
Describe the typical imaging and Doppler echocardiograpic findings of common acquired
and congenital heart diseases.

Prerequisite: ESAVS course modules I and II provide essential knowledge of cardiac diseases in small animals. These courses provide the necessary knowledge to understand and treat the most common cardiac diseases, whereas this course in veterinary cardiology focuses on performing good ultrasound exams.

Course Program (Subject to change)

Wednesday, 1 October 2025 – The Basics of Echocardiography

08:45 – 09:00 Welcome and registration
09:00 – 09:30 Technical basics of Ultrasound: machine requirements, transducers, digital storage
09:30 – 10:45 Echocardiography: the normal heart – imaging planes and standard views
10:45 – 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:00 Probe placement, manipulation and knobology
12:00 – 13:00 Measurement of cardiac dimensions: M-Mode and normalization formulas
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:30 Echocardiographic training session: standard views
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:30 Echocardiographic training session: standard views
18:00 – 19:00 Welcome Reception

Thursday, 2 October 2025 – Measurements and Assessments

09:00 – 09:30 Measurements of the left atrium
09:30 – 10:45 Echocardiographic Features of Congenital Shunts with cases
10:45 – 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:00 Assessment of volume status: the better way to measure and assess the heart
12:00 – 13:00 Measurement of cardiac dimensions and function of the right ventricle
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:30 Echocardiographic training session: standard views, measurements, LA/Ao etc.
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:30 Echocardiographic training session: individual coaching
17:30 – 18:30 Interactive Echo Case Management / Case presentations

Friday, 3 October 2025 – Practical Use of Spectral Doppler Measurements

09:00 – 09:30 Technical aspects and influence factors affecting PW- and CW Doppler
09:30 – 10:30 How, where and what to measure using PW- and CW-Doppler
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:00 Basic assessment of diastolic function using Doppler
12:00 – 13:00 Pulmonary hypertension assessment by echocardiography
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:30 Echocardiographic training session: use of spectral Doppler, Measurements, etc.
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:30 Echocardiographic training session: individual coaching
19.30 Social Dinner

Saturday, 4 October 2025 - Special Measurement Techniques

09:00 – 09:45 Color Doppler basics: machine settings and practical use. Color Flow image recognition and artifacts
09:45 – 10:45 Pericardial effusion: differentials and echocardiographic work-up
10:45 – 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:30 Echocardiographic assessment of mitral valve degeneration
12:30 – 13:00 Case Examples various diseases
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:30 Echocardiographic training session: Color Doppler, PW and CW Doppler
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 – 17:30 Echocardiographic training session: Color Doppler, PW and CW Doppler
17:30 – 18:30 Interactive Echo Case Management / Case presentations

Sunday, 5 October 2025 – Diseases: Special Considerations

09:00 – 10:30 Echocardiographic training session – hands on – performing complete examinations
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:30 Echocardiographic training session – hands on – performing complete examinations
12:30 – 13:30 Guidelines for DCM diagnosis: practical approach and pitfalls
13:30 – 14:30 Lunch Break
14:30 – 15:30 Echocardiography in cats: Tips and Tricks
15:30 – 15:45 Wrap-up of the course