Looking to expand your ultrasound knowledge beyond general abdominal imaging? The ECHO Bootcamp series is designed for veterinary professionals seeking to build practical skills, confidence, and clinical understanding in veterinary echocardiography through hands-on training and real-world cardiac imaging applications.
ECHO Bootcamp 2
ECHO Bootcamp 2 is an advanced, hands-on educational program designed for veterinary professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of cardiac imaging and disease evaluation in dogs and cats. Spanning three days, the course builds upon foundational echocardiography skills and clinical content presented in ECHO Bootcamp 1 and emphasizes practical application through guided scanning sessions, protocol demonstrations, and clinical case discussions. Topics include the review and mastery of standard imaging planes; acquisition, measurement, and interpretation of selected M-mode images; and best-practice echocardiographic assessment of common cardiac diseases such as myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD-dogs), pulmonary hypertension (PH-dogs), pericardial effusion (PE-dogs & cats), feline cardiomyopathies, and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM-dogs). Special attention is given to acquisition of a diagnostic echocardiographic telemedicine study, interpretation of clinical findings, breed-specific considerations (dogs), and measurement exercises (dogs & cats).
Learning Objectives:
• Review and acquire standard echocardiographic imaging planes, with emphasis on views not previously covered in ECHO Bootcamp 1.
• Identify common echocardiographic artifacts.
• Acquire, measure, and interpret selected M-mode images, including mitral valve EPSS, left ventricular measurements (dogs), assessment of left atrial function (cats), and assessment of right pulmonary artery distensibility (dogs).
• Understand practical Doppler principles as they relate to clinical interpretation of color, pulsed wave (PW/HPRF), and continuous wave (CW) Doppler, and recognize their clinical use and limitations.
• Evaluate normal and abnormal color and spectral Doppler (PW/HPRF/CW) findings in dogs and cats.
• Assess intracardiac pressures and pressure gradients relevant to pulmonary hypertension (dogs).
• Recognize and assess key features of myxomatous mitral valve disease (dogs), pulmonary hypertension (dogs), pericardial effusion (cats and dogs), feline cardiomyopathies (including ARVC, DCM, NSCM), and dilated cardiomyopathy (dogs).
• Provide a concise summary of diagnostic criteria and management strategies for diseases not covered in ECHO Bootcamp 1, including pulmonary hypertension (dogs), pericardial disease (dogs and cats), feline cardiomyopathies (including ARVC, DCM, NSCM), and dilated cardiomyopathy (dogs).
• Recognize breed-specific considerations and variability in cardiac measurements (dogs).
• Apply learned techniques in practical scanning sessions, focusing on both right and left heart imaging, and interpret clinical findings in real cases.
• Engage in interactive measurement exercises utilizing PACS, including assessment of abnormal cases (e.g., DCM, MMVD, pulmonary hypertension, and pericardial effusion in dogs, LAE in cats with cardiomyopathy).
• Acquire a complete echocardiographic case for submission to a telemedicine service.
