title: A safety checklist for transoesophageal echocardiography from the British Society of Echocardiography and the Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists.
abstract: The World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the Surgical Safety Checklist in 2008. The introduction of this checklist resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of complications and death in patients undergoing surgery. Consequently, the WHO Surgical Safety checklist is recommended for use by the National Patient Safety Agency for all patients undergoing surgery. However, many invasive or interventional procedures occur outside the theatre setting and there are increasing requirements for a safety checklist to be used prior to such procedures. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) is an invasive procedure and although generally considered to be safe, it carries the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening complications. Strict adherence to a safety checklist may reduce the rate of significant complications during TOE. However, the standard WHO Surgical Safety Checklist is not designed for procedures outside the theatre environment and therefore this document is designed to be a procedure-specific safety checklist for TOE. It has been endorsed for use by the British Society of Echocardiography and the Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthetists.
authors.affiliation: Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals , Liverpool , UK.
authors.forename: Vishal
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals , Liverpool , UK.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alderton
authors.affiliation: Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals, Liverpool, UK; LiverpoolWomens' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McNamara
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospital Birmingham NHS foundation Trust , Birmingham , UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Steeds
authors.affiliation: Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospital Birmingham NHS foundation Trust , Birmingham , UK.
authors.forename: Will
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bradlow
authors.affiliation: Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals , Liverpool , UK.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chenzbraun
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Sports and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moore's University , Liverpool , UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oxborough
authors.affiliation: Nottingham University Hospital , Nottingham , UK.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mathew
authors.affiliation: Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust , Portsmouth , UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Wales , Cardiff , UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Ultrasound, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust , Leeds , UK.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sandoval
authors.affiliation: Barts Health NHS Trust , London , UK.
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.affiliation: King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust , London , UK.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: O'Gallagher
authors.affiliation: UCL Centre for Cardiovascular Imaging, University College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.affiliation: West Suffolk Hospital NHS Foundation Trustm , Bury St Edmonds , UK.
authors.forename: Liam
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ring
authors.affiliation: Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust , Portsmouth , UK.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Manchester Royal Infirmary , Manchester , UK.
authors.forename: Niall
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: O'Keeffe
authors.affiliation: St Georges University Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust , London , UK.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.affiliation: Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust , London , UK.
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harkness
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Papworth Hospital , Cambridge , UK.
authors.forename: Bushra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rana
keywords: safety checklist; transoesophageal echocardiography