Emergent Echocardiography in Noncardiac Surgical Patients

Emergent Echocardiography in Noncardiac Surgical Patients: THE USE OF transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) during noncardiac surgery has grown exponentially in recent decades. In addition to its potential value as an intraoperative monitor in select situations, the diagnostic application of intraoperative TEE in patients with unexplained, persistent, or life-threatening hypotension has been recognized and endorsed strongly by a recent task force of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. In fact, as early as 1996, a joint task force of the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists noted that the emergent use of TEE in patients with cardiovascular collapse falls within the “customary practice of anesthesiology.”