A Public Letter to ASE

Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE

Texas Heart Institute

Stephen H. Little, MD, FASE

DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center

Benjamin W. Eidem, MD, FASE

Mayo Clinic

Why We Measure Tau?

Tau and Beyond

Tau renders us a new approach to the cardiac function assessment. Since Tau is directly related to how powerful the muscle is at the beginning of diastole, it is well accepted as the best index to describe diastolic function.

A Tale of Two Harvard Profs: Anversa Opened a Wrong Door, Thomas Closed a Right Door

When I read "The Emperor's New Clothes" as a child, I didn't take it seriously. It seemed like a funny tale, just the adults' way of fooling kids around with their wild imaginations. However, as I grew up, I realized that this story could actually happen in the adult world. It's astonishing to see how even intelligent and respectable individuals can get involved in such situations.

Mindray had just launched a high-end ultrasound machine DC80, which is the first Tau-measurable ultrasound machine in the world.

A Small Step in Math, A True Stride in Cardiology

With the progress of Doppler and modern computer technology, I believe that only a few RBCs’ leaking will be needed to give us a much understandable and clear regurgitation curve. Theoretically, merely a short part of the curve is enough to calculate the Tau. As long as we are allowed to choose 3 points from within the definition field, we can use the updated formulas to proceed. Let’s assume the 3 points are a (v_a, t_a), b (v_b, t_b) and c (v_c, t_c) from left to right. The updated formulas are:

All Tau(s) Calculation Formulas

"The beauty of nature lies in her simplicity."

--- Dr Quan Wang