This Article Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF) All Versions of this Article: 1089253208328668v1 12/4/265    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Mahmood, F. Articles by Matyal, R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mahmood, F. Articles by Matyal, R. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Transesophageal Echocardiography and Noncardiac Surgery

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: chrisa9{at}spectrummg.com.

	Abstract

The use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for monitoring during cardiac and noncardiac surgery has increased exponentially over the past few decades. TEE has evolved from a diagnostic tool to a monitoring device and a procedural adjunct. The close proximity of the TEE transducer to the heart generates highquality images of the intracardiac structures and their spatial orientation. The use of TEE in noncardiac and critical care settings is not well studied, and the evidence of the benefits of its use in these settings is lacking. Despite the widespread availability of TEE equipment in US hospitals, less than 30% of anesthesiologists are formally trained in the use of perioperative TEE. In this review, the safety and indications of TEE are reviewed and detailed analysis of the best available evidence in this regard is presented. Landmark trials evaluating the use of TEE and its therapeutic impact in noncardiac surgical setting are critically reviewed. This article details recommendations to familiarize anesthesiologists with TEE technology to exploit it to its fullest potential to achieve better patient monitoring standards and eventually improve outcome. Training of greater numbers of anesthesiologists in TEE is needed to increase awareness of the indications and contraindications. Until relatively inexpensive TEE equipment is available, the initial cost of equipment acquisition remains a significant prohibitive factor limiting its widespread use.

First published on November 24, 2008, doi:10.1177/1089253208328668

Seminars in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia 2008;12:265.

A more recent version of this article appeared on December 1, 2008


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Swaminathan Thinking From Inside the Box Seminars in Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia, December 1, 2008; 12(4): 225 - 227. [PDF]