Intraoperative transesophageal pulmonary echo

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have reported predictors of new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) following cardiac surgery, which is associated with increased length of stay, cost of care, morbidity, and mortality. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between preoperative diastolic function and occurrence of new-onset POAF in patients undergoing a variety of cardiac surgeries at a single institution. METHODS: Using data from a prospective study from November 2007 to January 2010, a retrospective review was conducted...

A 54-year-old man was admitted to the intensive care unit following cardiac surgery. On day 6 postoperatively, approximately 2-3 min following the removal of the pulmonary artery (PA) catheter introducer sited in the right internal jugular vein, the patient became agitated, confused and then unresponsive. He was urgently moved onto the bed, laid supine, sedated with a propofol infusion, intubated and mechanically ventilated. A bedside transthoracic echocardiogram revealed extensive multiple air emboli in all cardiac chambers and review of the patient's intraoperative imaging confirmed the presence of patent foramen ovale (PFO)...

A 28-year-old patient presented with a right adrenal mass compressing the right kidney and invading the inferior vena cava. The tumor was completely resected; however, on a transesophageal echocardiogram intraoperatively, a new pulmonary artery thrombus, measuring 1.4 × 1.8 cm, was detected. The patient was therefore taken to the operating room the next day. The thrombus was visualized and removed and measured 4 × 2 × 1 × 1 cm. The pathology report identified the mass as an adrenal tumor thrombus with malignant elements...

CONTEXT: Paragangliomas are a type of neuroendocrine tumor that has been reported to be present in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease. This report documents the first case of a patient with successful resection of a sympathetic paraganglioma in the setting of unrepaired tetralogy of Fallot, the most common cause of cyanotic heart disease, with pulmonary atresia. OBJECTIVE: We present a 33-yr-old woman with hypertensive crises from a paraganglioma who presented for surgical resection...

A case of a 40 year old, 86 kg, G7P1 woman with a history of hypercoagulability, at 39.1 weeks' gestation, who presented for elective Cesarean section during spinal anesthesia, is presented. During closure of the uterus, she became unresponsive and went into asystolic cardiac arrest. During resuscitation, clinical signs suggested pulmonary embolism, as confirmed by transesophageal echocardiogram. She was anticoagulated and taken to the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory; there, clot lysis was performed, resulting in massive bleeding...

We describe presence of an unusual right atrial membrane in a 30-year old female with end stage renal disease, hypertension and peripheral vascular disease. The patient was scheduled for midline sternotomy and pericardiotomy and removal of a migrated vascular stent in the right pulmonary artery. An intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) revealed an unusual membranous structure with fenestrations that stretched across the right atrium with attachments superiorly at the free wall and inferiorly at the inter-atrial septum...

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Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) during cardiac surgery is a routine procedure. The use of pediatric TEE probes is limited in small infants weighing less than 5 kg. Recent reports have shown the safety of monoplane intravascular ultrasound catheters in transesophageal echocardiograms. This report describes the case of a newborn with total anomalous pulmonary venous return who underwent cardiac surgery. A pre- and postbypass TEE examination was performed, with successful visualization of the cardiac anatomy and function and no complications...

A 75-year-old man with history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation developed acute pulmonary oedema immediately after permanent pacemaker insertion for symptomatic bradycardia and was transferred to our institution. Echocardiography prior to pacemaker insertion showed normal left ventricle (LV) function and mild mitral regurgitation (MR). A single-chamber pacemaker had been inserted with the ventricular lead positioned in the right ventricular apex. He was treated with diuretics with symptomatic improvement. Investigations failed to reveal a cause for cardiac failure...

OBJECTIVE: Transesophageal echocardiography is the primary intraoperative imaging modality used to evaluate cardiac surgery. Its predecessor, epicardial echocardiography, enables visualization of certain cardiovascular structures that are beyond the visual scope of transesophageal echocardiography. We review the current use of epicardial echocardiography to analyze its contemporary application and benefit. METHODS: A retrospective review of the intraoperative echocardiograms of 1204 children undergoing bypass cardiovascular surgery between January 2007 and December 2009 was performed...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cardiac positioning and stabilization during myocardial revascularization without extracorporeal circulation (ECC) may cause hemodynamic changes dependent to the surgical site. The objective of this study was to evaluate these changes during distal coronary anastomosis. METHODS: Twenty adult patients undergoing myocardial revascularization without ECC were monitored by pulmonary artery catheter and transesophageal Echo Doppler. Hemodynamic data were collected at the following times before removing the stabilizer wall: (1) after volume adjustments, (2) at the beginning of distal anastomosis, and (3) after 5 minutes...

A 13-year-old male was admitted to undergoing correction of a pulmonary venous baffle stenosis (PVBS) after a modified Senning procedure was performed by the age of five months. Recurrent Pulmonary congestion and pneumonia episodes were followed by echocardiography and cardiac catheterization that confirmed PVBS. Previous catheter balloon angioplasty was attempted, and a surgical revision was done under cardiopulmonary bypass. The bovine pericardial patch used for augmentation of the right atrium, retracted and calcified producing PVBS...

A 61-year-old patient with the diagnosis of acute heart failure based on severe mitral valve insufficiency due to chordae rupture was scheduled for surgery. Intraoperatively, a standard two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiogram (2D-TEE) examination, revealed severe mitral valve regurgitation due to a prolaps with chordal rupture and an echo dense structure in the pulmonary artery (PA). Because it was not possible to visualize this echo dense structure fully with 2D-TEE we performed a three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiogram (3D-TEE)...

BACKGROUND: Refractory hypotension is a frequent event during reperfusion of a liver graft. Measures that help maintain hemodynamic stability include correction of electrolytes and acid-base abnormalities as well as administration of fluid and/or catecholamines. Vasoplegic syndrome represents the most severe form of hemodynamic instability. Management of this condition is very difficult due primarily to the inadequate response to even very high doses of catecholamines. CASE REPORT: A 60-year-old patient presented for liver transplantation due to end stage liver disease...

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OBJECTIVES: To report the major complication rate associated with pulmonary vein antral isolation (PVAI) in a consecutive series of 500 patients from a single center. BACKGROUND: Catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) is an established procedure for refractory AF. However, the risk of major complications has been reported to range from 3.9% to 4.5% and continues to represent a cause for concern. We hypothesized that these studies may have overestimated the rate of major complications associated with PVAI in patients with a low prevalence of structural heart disease (SHD)...

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary arterial (PA) vasoconstriction in cardiac surgery can originate from the action of combined humoral, endothelial, and sympathetic tone changes. The consequence of PA vasoconstriction is pulmonary hypertension (PHT) and, when present after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), can predispose to right ventricular dysfunction. Right ventricular dysfunction after CPB is a serious complication with high mortality rates. The extent to which sympathetic blockade could reduce PA vasoconstriction and reduce PHT is unknown...

BACKGROUND: Cardiac computed tomographic scans, coronary angiograms, and aortographies are routinely performed in transcatheter heart valve therapies. Consequently, all patients are exposed to multiple contrast injections with a following risk of nephrotoxicity and postoperative renal failure. The transapical aortic valve implantation without angiography can prevent contrast-related complications. METHODS: Between November 2008 and November 2009, 30 consecutive high-risk patients (16 female, 53...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is extremely useful in surgeries like valvuloplasty, of the thoracic aorta, and correction of congenital cardiopathies. The low degree of invasiveness and the capacity to aggregate information that can change the course of the surgery are among the advantages of TEE. The objective of this report was to present a case in which the surgical conduct was changed due to a new diagnosis provided by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography, and to emphasize the importance of using the transesophageal echo in surgeries to correct congenital cardiopathies...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.