The role of transoesophageal echocardiography for anaesthetists.
Transoesophageal echocardiography has proved to be a valuable monitor of global and regional ventricular function in the perioperative period. In addition, it is increasingly used by anaesthetists as a diagnostic tool in patients with heart disease. During the past year, important steps towards quality assurance and the standardization of perioperative echocardiography were undertaken, and our understanding of the perioperative cardiovascular structure and function improved.
Skarvan
K
K
Department of Anaesthesia, University of Basel, Switzerland. kskarvan@uhbs.ch