Training and Accreditation Pathways in Critical Care and Perioperative Echocardiography

• Published in: Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 235 - 247
• Main Authors: Flower, Luke, Dempsey, Martin, White, Alexander, Sanfilippo, Filippo, Olusanya, Olusegun, Madhivathanan, Pradeep R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2021
• Subjects: Accreditation; anesthesia; cardiothoracic anesthesia; Critical Care; Echocardiography; Europe; Humans; intensive care; North America; Perioperative Care; point-of-care ultrasound; United Kingdom; United Kingdom; North America; Europe; critical care; cardiothoracic anesthesia; Echocardiography; intensive care; point-of-care ultrasound; anesthesia
• ISSN: 1053-0770; 1532-8422
• DOI: 10.1053/j.jvca.2020.07.046

In recent years, there has been a dramatic rise in the use of echocardiography in perioperative and critical care medicine. It is now recommended widely as a first-line diagnostic tool when approaching patients in shock, due to its ability to identify shock etiology and response to treatment noninvasively. To match the increasing training demand, and to ensure maintenance of high-quality and reproducible scanning, several accreditation pathways have been developed worldwide. Critical care echocardiography training pathways can include both transthoracic and transesophageal scanning and range from basic focused protocols to advanced comprehensive scans. The complexity of each individual training program is reflected in its accreditation process. While basic accreditations may require only course attendance and a relatively brief logbook, comprehensive accreditations often require extensive logbooks and written and practical examinations. Currently, the use of transoesophageal echocardiography remains restricted largely to cardiothoracic anesthesia and critical care; however, its use in the general intensive care setting is growing. This narrative review summarizes the most common training pathways, their curricula, and accreditation requirements. The authors initially focus on echocardiography training in the United Kingdom, and then go on to describe similar international accreditations available in Europe, North America, and Australasia.