Members - EchoGuru

Hi , Welcome to your Member Dashboard

New This Week

Beyond EF: When Symptoms Don’t Match the Ejection Fraction - Desiree Lerma

In this week's session of The Echo Chamber, Desiree Lerma, an advanced cardiac sonographer, explores the complexities of ejection fraction (EF) in assessing cardiac function, particularly in cases of mitral regurgitation (MR). The discussion emphasizes the importance of contextualizing EF within broader clinical assessments to avoid misinterpretations.

Learning Objectives

Understand the limitations of ejection fraction as a standalone metric in the evaluation of cardiac function.
Recognize how mitral regurgitation affects the interpretation of ejection fraction and forward flow.
Implement an integrated approach to echocardiographic assessments that includes multiple metrics and clinical context.

Desiree Lerma

Memorial Hermann Hospital, Center for Advanced Heart Failure, Houston, TX, USA

Desiree is an advanced cardiac sonographer and clinical educator with 12+ years of experience in advanced heart failure, structural heart disease, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy within high-acuity tertiary care settings. She holds the Advanced Cardiac Sonographer (ACS) credential and Fellowship in the American Society of Echocardiography (FASE), and is well-versed in advanced echocardiographic quantitation and preliminary interpretive reporting for physician review. Desiree leads practice-based education, protocol standardization, and quality improvement to strengthen technical performance and clinical reasoning in echocardiography. Desiree is a graduate student in Healthcare Leadership (Teaching concentration) with scholarly focus on sonographer workforce sustainability and professional development; and is active in professional service through the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), including committee participation, mentorship, and educational resource review.