1. AAA Screening Bill Introduced
   
2. SDMS Welcomes New Director of Education and Meetings
   
3. For Carpal Tunnel: Get Shot First?
   
4. Dallas DAZZLES!
   
5. Awards and Competition Deadlines Approaching
   
6. Exhibitors and Sponsors: Want to be a part of the SDMS Annual Conference?
   
7. News & Notes
   
8. Important Dates
   

In an effort to address a serious health risk for elderly Americans, Representatives John Shimkus (R- IL), Gene Green (D-TX), and Ron Lewis (R-KY) have introduced the Screening Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Very Efficiently (SAAAVE) Act (HR 827), an initiative that would direct Medicare to cover abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening. AAA is one of our nation’s most preventable but often neglected conditions taking approximately 15,000 American lives a year.

The SDMS is a member of the National Aneurysm Alliance (NAA).

Steroid injections provide as much relief as surgery for patients with new cases of carpal tunnel syndrome, at least for a year after treatment, finds a study.

Carpal tunnel syndrome – a repetitive-use injury in which the median nerve of the wrist compresses, causing tingling, weakness, numbness and muscle loss in the hand and fingers – affects an estimated 8 million people in the United States, most of them women. Severe cases are usually treated with surgery to decompress the nerve, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Bright lights, big city meets southern hospitality in the “Big D”! With over 60 courses in five specialty areas, you can design your own program based on your personal learning needs at the SDMS 2005 Annual Conference. Mark your calendars now and look for your annual conference registration brochure in May. Until then, here’s a preview of what’s in store:

• Continue your education in Ob/Gyn, Abdomen, Cardiac, Vascular, and Practice Strategies
• Learn from physician and sonographer expert faculty
• Earn SDMS CME or AMA Category 1 credit
• Network with the largest gathering of sonographers in the world
• Get even more out of the conference by attending a pre-conference tutorial -- choose from the Educator’s Tutorial, Obstetrics Tutorial, Vascular Extravaganza, or the new Management Tutorial.
• Get your groove on at the “Flashback Fever” gala - the premier social event of the conference

There is still time for students and sonographers to prepare and submit their application for the following award/competitions:

• May 13 - W. Frederick Sample Student Excellence Award
• May 20 - Scientific Presentation Competition
• July 1 - Sonographer Poster Exhibit Competition
• July 1 - Student Sonographer Poster Exhibit Compeition

For more information about the W. Fredick Sample Student Excellence Award or the competitions, visit:

The Exhibitor Prospectus has just been released! If you are part of an organization that would be interested in reserving space in our exhibit hall or gaining high visibility through one of our sponsorship opportunities, now is your best chance.

Our exhibit hall sold out last year...get your application in early to avoid being placed on a waiting list!

The News & Notes column includes links to web-based news articles of interest to sonographers. To submit articles, send the URL to webmaster@sdms.org