I NTRAOPERATIVE ULTRASONOGRAPHY, especially transesophageal echocardiography (TEE),
commonly is used by anesthesiologists in the setting of cardiovascular instability.
Several different causes of hypotension, such as hypovolemia, systolic ventricular
failure, pericardial tamponade, and valvular problems can be detected within a matter
of minutes. Subsequent emergent management can be monitored and guided easily using
TEE. However, a TEE probe may not be available readily. In addition, the patient must
tolerate sedation or intubation for the procedure. In contrast to TEE, transthoracic
ultrasound offers an alternative modality for the nonintubated, awake patient, yet
is reported less commonly in the anesthesia literature. In addition to providing cardiac
imaging, transthoracic ultrasound can be applied to the lungs to yield further diagnostic
clues, such as the presence of pleural effusion, pneumothorax, or pulmonary edema.
1
In the case presented here, intraoperative transthoracic cardiac and pulmonary ultrasound
played a key role in the timely management of sudden cardiopulmonary decompensation.Key words
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Published online: August 19, 2015
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© 2015 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
