title: Transesophageal echocardiography for the noncardiac surgical patient.
abstract: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been established as a very valuable asset for patient monitoring during cardiac surgery. The value of perioperative TEE for patients undergoing noncardiac surgery is less clear. This article reviews the technical aspects of TEE and comments on the potential benefit of using TEE as a monitoring modality apart from cardiac surgery. Based on patient's comorbidities and/or injury pattern, TEE is a fast and minimally invasive approach to obtain important hemodynamic information, especially useful in a hemodynamically unstable patient. However, certain requirements for the use of the technique are necessary, most important the development of sufficient echocardiographic skills by the anesthesiologists. Indications, skill requirements, and possible complications of the technique are reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, University of Kentucky Medical Center, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, USA. arebe2@email.uky.edu
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rebel
authors.forename: Oksana
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Klimkina
authors.forename: Zaki-Udin
authors.initials: ZU
authors.lastname: Hassan
mesh_terms: D000075202:Contraindications; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D018579:Patient Selection; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery