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Use of a Miniaturized Transesophageal Echocardiographic Probe in the Intensive Care Unit for Diagnosis and Treatment of a Hemodynamically Unstable Patient After Aortic Valve Replacement
TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY (TEE) has shown the ability to identify treatable causes of shock in patients after cardiac surgery.1,2 Unfortunately, the use of TEE in unstable patients after cardiac surgery is limited by the availability of trained echocardiographers, equipment and resource availability, and physician bias that a diagnosis can be established by other means. Some but not all of these limitations may be overcome through technologic innovation.
