Focused Cardiac Ultrasound Transthoracic Echocardiography

The Focused Cardiac Ultrasound Transthoracic Echocardiography (FCU TTE) Course offers a comprehensive knowledge base through learning practical skills in transthoracic echocardiography to complement clinical evaluation.

The course has been designed to use the CAE Vimedix Ultrasound Simulators to reinforce clinical simulator case studies. The participant will learn practical skills in focused transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), also known as focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) and additional learning that outlines both normal and pathology cases relevant to anaesthesia, critical care, emergency medicine, surgery and internal medicine.

Designed For

Designed for Anaesthetists, intensive care, and emergency department physicians, and surgeons who wish to learn how to use Point-Of-Care (POC) transthoracic guidance techniques.

Learning Outcomes

1. Acquire the TTE views
2. Understand haemodynamic State Assessment
3. Perform limited valve assessment using 2D and colour flow Doppler
4. Putting it all together – doing a iHeartScan
5. Writing a iHeartScan report
6. Practical experience in performing and reporting an iHeartScan on simulated patients

Course Units

The TTE simulator course is delivered in three components:

• Pre-reading eLearning tutorials and 20 online case studies. This provides the knowledge base to perform and interpret basic TTE.
• Case Studies and Exam. 10 online cases to perform using the simulator. The participant in their own time will work through a case study, acquiring images, interpreting pathology, writing a report and completing assessments relevant to the case. At the end of this stage, there is an online MCQ exam.
• 30 online logbooks to record clinical activity performed on patients.

Assessment

Completion of the course requires a 70% pass mark of all pre-reading cases, simulator cases, and exam.

Time Required

Course completion takes approximately 30 hours.

*participants will have access to Vimedix simulators in the University of Melbourne Ultrasound Simulation Centre upon successful course enrolment.

Delivery Mode

This course is delivered online and students can study in their own time and location. Course materials can be accessed using a web browser.