FREE WEBINAR

Cardiac POCUS Part 1: Techniques for Assessing Left Ventricular Function

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Emergency physician and ultrasound educator Dr. Tom Cook teaches how to quickly assess left ventricular function in patients presenting with chest pain, dyspnea, or unstable vital signs.

In this 1-hour webinar, Dr. Cook demonstrates how to use POCUS to rapidly assess left ventricular function and assist with managing a wide variety of cardiopulmonary pathology. Learn how to:

  • combine multiple calculations with a visual estimation of myocardial contractility to make a robust assessment of left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF)
  • calculate end point septal separation (EPSS) to estimate ejection fraction
  • calculate fractional shortening to estimate ejection fraction
  • calculate the mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) to identify signs of systolic failure

Recent research confirms that clinicians can miss subtle signs of heart failure in the emergency department or during admission, and this can significantly increase morbidity, mortality, and length of stay.1 No tool can help assess cardiac function at the bedside better than ultrasound.

Assessment of left ventricular function can be key in determining a patient’s pathology, and knowledge gained from the ultrasound is essential to safely initiate treatment. Utilizing clinical signs alone to assess heart function can be misleading, and this may create significant delays and errors in management that affect patient outcomes.

Dr. Cook gives you four easy tools to quickly and reliably determine whether the left ventricle is pumping adequately. Then he teaches you how to use your ultrasonic assessment to choose the best management plan.

Dr. Cook presents several cases with various pathologic conditions to demonstrate how to integrate this strategy into your practice. Join this free webinar to learn practical knowledge you can use on your next day in the emergency department, hospital ward, or intensive care unit.

Dr. Cook is joined by emergency physician Oron Frenkel and Sonographer Shelley Guenther for live scanning to help you build practical skills that you can use with your next patient. Don’t miss this webinar – register today!


[1] Plant LD, et al. Development of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Among Hospital Inpatients: Incidence, Causes and Outcomes. Heart, Lung and Circulation (2018), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlc.2017.12.004

Dr. Tom Cook Emergency Physician

Emergency Physician

Dr. Tom Cook

Born in El Paso, Texas, Dr. Cook grew up in Northern Virginia and received his bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary before attending the University of Virginia for Medical School. After leaving active duty with the U.S. army in 1996, Dr. Cook joined the faculty of the emergency medicine residency at Prisma Health in Columbia, South Carolina. Shortly after this he founded 3rd Rock Ultrasound, an education company designed to help all healthcare providers integrate ultrasound technology into their practice. Over the last two decades, 3rd Rock presented courses on over 1500 occasions throughout the United States as well as Europe, Africa, and Asia. Since 2001, Dr. Cook has also been the program director for emergency medicine with Prisma Health / University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Oron Frenkel, M.D., M.S. Emergency Physician

Emergency Physician

Oron Frenkel, M.D., M.S.

Dr. Oron Frenkel completed his MS and MD simultaneously at the University of California Joint Medical Program in Berkeley and San Francisco, completing his residency in Emergency Medicine followed by a fellowship in Point-of-Care Ultrasound at Alameda County Medical Center in Oakland, California. He moved to British Columbia with the goal of increasing use of point-of-care ultrasound across the province, especially among rural practitioners. An avid educator, Dr. Frenkel is constantly evaluating the best teaching methods for disseminating this technology, how to measure competency in its practice, and its effects on outcomes for individual patients. Dr. Frenkel serves as Chairman of the Clarius Medical Advisory Board.

Shelley Guenther, CRGS, CRCS Medical Sonographer

Medical Sonographer

Shelley Guenther, CRGS, CRCS

Shelley Guenther worked as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist for 2 years before entering into the ultrasound program at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. After graduating with specialties in general ultrasound as well as echocardiography, she worked as a clinical expert in the commercial world of ultrasound for over 25 years. As Clinical Manager at Clarius, Shelley Guenther is dedicated to providing the highest quality educational content for clinicians looking to add wireless ultrasound to their practice, including practical webinars and Clarius Classroom video tutorials.

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Whether you’re looking for a specific solution or need help finding the right scanner for your practice, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us and let’s get started!

We’re Here To Help

Whether you’re looking for a specific solution or need help finding the right scanner for your practice, we’re here to help. Get in touch with us and let’s get started!