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Objective: Wide variations exist in the use of pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) and echocardiography in the field of cardiac surgery., Design: A national survey promoted by the Italian Association of Cardio-Thoracic Anesthesiologists and Intensive Care was conducted., Setting: The study occurred in Italian cardiac surgery centers (n = 71)., Participants: Anesthesiologists-intensivists were enrolled., Interventions: Anonymous questionnaires were used to investigate the use of PACs and echocardiography in the operating room (OR) and intensive care unit (ICU)., Measurements and Main Results: A total of 257 respondents (32.2% response rate) from 59 centers (83.1% response rate) participated. Use of PACs seems less common in ORs (median insertion in 20% [5-70] of patients), with slightly higher use in ICUs; in about half of cases, it was the continuous cardiac output monitoring system of choice. Almost two-thirds of respondents recently inserted at least one PAC within a few hours of ICU admission, despite its need being largely preoperatively predictable. Protocols regulating PAC insertion were reported by 25.3% and 28% of respondents (OR and ICU, respectively). Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was performed intraoperatively in >75% of patients by 86.4% of respondents; only 23.7% stated that intraoperative TEE relied on anesthesiologists. Tissue Doppler and/or 3D imaging were widely available (87.4% and 82%, respectively), but only 37.8% and 24.3% of respondents self-declared skills in these modalities, respectively; 77.1% of respondents had no echocardiography certification, nor were pursuing certification (various reasons); 40.9% had not attended recent echocardiography courses. Lower PAC use was associated with university hospitals (OR: p = 0.014, ICU: p = 0.032) and with lower interventions/year (OR: p = 0.023). Higher independence in performing TEE was reported in university hospitals (OR: p < 0.001; ICU: p = 0.006), centers with higher interventions/year (OR: p = 0.019), and by respondents with less experience in cardiology (ICU: p = 0.046)., Conclusion: Variability in the use of PACs and echocardiography was found. Protocols regulating the use of PACs seem infrequent. University centers use PACs less and have greater skills in TEE. Training and certifications in echocardiography should be encouraged., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Patients undergoing pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) have impaired right ventricular function. The authors sought to assess the clinical utility of commonly used perioperative echocardiographic and right heart catheter measurements in patients undergoing PEA., Design: A single-center prospective observational study., Setting: The study was conducted in a quaternary care cardiac surgical center in the United Kingdom., Participants: Patients undergoing PEA between April 2015 and January 2016., Interventions: Thermodilution cardiac index and echocardiography variables were measured at 3 time points: before sternotomy (T1), after pericardial incision (T2), and after sternal closure (T3). Six-month follow-up echocardiography and 6-minute walk (6-MWT) test were performed., Measurements and Main Results: Fifty patients were recruited and complete data sets were available for 41 patients. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion declined after pericardial incision and cardiopulmonary bypass (T1: 15 ± 4 mm, T2: 13 ± 4 mm, T3: 7 ± 2 mm; p < 0.0001), returning to baseline 6 months postoperatively. Cardiac index (T1: 2.5 ± 0.7 L/min/m 2 , T2: 2.6 ± 0.6 L/min/m 2 , T3: 2.3 ± 0.5 L/min/m 2 ; p = 0.07) and right ventricular fractional area change (T1: 36 ± 11%, T2: 40 ± 12%, T3: 40 ± 9%; p = 0.12) were preserved perioperatively. 6-MWT improved from baseline (294 ± 111 m) to follow-up (357 ± 107 m) (p < 0.001). Pulmonary vascular resistance at T3 correlated moderately with follow-up 6-MWT (R = -0.60)., Conclusions: In patients undergoing PEA, invasive measurements and echocardiography assessment of right ventricular function are not interchangeable. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion is not a reliable measure of right ventricular function perioperatively. Pulmonary vascular resistance shows moderate correlation with postoperative functional capacity., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The authors hypothesized that average precardiopulmonary bypass (pre-CPB) transesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) mean gradient (PGm) and aortic valve area (AVA) values would be significantly different from preoperative transthoracic (TTE) values in the same patients and that these changes would affect pre-CPB TEE grading of aortic stenosis (AS)., Design: Retrospective, observational design., Setting: Single university hospital., Participants: The study comprised 92 patients who underwent aortic valve replacement with or without coronary artery bypass grafting between 2000 and 2012 at Duke University Hospital and who had PGm and AVA values recorded in both pre-CPB TEE and preoperative TTE reporting databases., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: PGm with pre-CPB TEE was lower by 6.6 mmHg (95% confidence interval, -4.0 to -9.3 mmHg; p<0.001), whereas AVA was higher by 0.10 cm(2) (95% confidence interval, 0.04 to 0.15 cm(2); p<0.001), compared with preoperative TTE values. When using PGm, pre-CPB TEE generated an AS severity 1 grade lower 39.1% of the time and revealed no difference 55.4% of the time compared to preoperative TTE. When using AVA by continuity, pre-CPB TEE generated an AS severity 1 grade lower 14.1% of the time and revealed no difference 81.5% of the time compared to preoperative TTE. When using either PGm or AVA, preoperative TTE exhibited moderate or severe AS for all study patients, whereas, pre-CPB TEE demonstrated mild AS in 5.4% (n = 92) of patients., Conclusions: The authors confirmed their hypothesis that pre-CPB TEE generates different PGm and AVA values compared with preoperative TTE. These differences often underestimate AS severity. Hemodynamic standardizations or adjustments of pre-CPB TEE PGm and AVA values may be necessary in anesthetized patients before assigning an AS grade using these parameters., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To characterize existing practice patterns for intraoperative evaluation and grading of diastolic dysfunction in patients undergoing cardiac surgery., Design: A 14-question, multiple-choice survey of current practice for patients with diastolic dysfunction and the use of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to evaluate, grade, and monitor changes in diastolic function., Setting: Online survey., Participants: Members of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: Of 515 respondents, there was a near-even spread between those based in an academic setting (53%) and those based in private practice (43%). Most respondents (81%) had completed training with certification in TEE. Most respondents (86%) currently modified their intraoperative management, at least some of the time, if they believed a patient was experiencing diastolic dysfunction, with 72% varying the nature of any modification according to the identified grade of diastolic dysfunction. Although 62% of respondents usually evaluated diastolic dysfunction in the pre-bypass period, only 59% of those evaluating diastolic dysfunction typically graded the dysfunction, with a variety of algorithms used for this purpose. The majority of respondents (62%) typically did not re-evaluate diastolic function using TEE in the post-bypass period. In 2 sample patients with Doppler data provided, there was marked variation in grading of diastolic dysfunction by respondents; this variation remained marked even within subgroups of respondents who typically used the same grading algorithm., Conclusions: Marked variation currently exists in how intraoperative TEE is used to evaluate, grade, and monitor diastolic function during cardiac surgery. This suggests clinically important knowledge gaps that should be addressed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the impact of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography on type-A acute aortic dissection., Design: Retrospective observational study., Setting: Tertiary care hospital., Participants: Sixty-four consecutive patients with type-A aortic dissection., Interventions: Surgeons interviewed regarding how transesophageal echocardiography changed the surgical procedure., Measurements and Main Results: Transesophageal echocardiography confirmed an ascending aorta intimal flap in 53 (83%) patients and an intramural hematoma in 9 (14%) patients. The aortic valve was bicuspid in 5 (8%) cases and a prior prosthetic valve was present in 4 (6%) patients. Aortic insufficiency was moderate in 12 (19%) cases and severe in 18 (28%) patients. Additionally, transesophageal echocardiography was useful in defining the size of pericardial effusion in 18 (28%) patients, 8 with large effusions and/or tamponade. Altogether, transesophageal echocardiography added data beyond prior imaging in 41 (64%) patients, including moderate or severe mitral regurgitation, right ventricular dysfunction, and atrial septal defects. The findings from intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography led directly to a change in planned surgery in 25 (39%) patients. Transesophageal echocardiography verified suitability of the repair in all cases of interposition graft or valve repair., Conclusions: Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography provides incremental information to the original imaging examination in the management of type-A acute aortic dissection in nearly two-thirds of patients, leading to a change in the planned surgery in 39% of patients, thus supporting its role as suggested in recent guidelines., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The authors hypothesized that the clinical profile of patients undergoing hTEE after continuous flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implant would be in patients with greater acuity, more blood product utilization, and longer length of ICU stay, and that hTEE would change clinical management., Design: Retrospective review., Setting: University hospital., Participants: One hundred consecutive patients receiving a CF-LVAD., Interventions: Retrospective review using a standardized electronic form of a miniaturized disposable transesophageal echocardiography probe that documented not only physical findings but also changes in hemodynamic management (hTEE) in CF-LVAD patients., Measurements and Main Results: Of the 100 patients, 41 received an hTEE probe. The INTERMACS score, Leitz-Miller Score, and Kormos score indicated the hTEE group had a statistically significant greater risk of morbidity and mortality. Interoperatively, the hTEE group received more blood products and was more likely to have an open chest. Postoperatively, the hTEE group received more blood products, had a longer total length of stay, and had increased mortality. ICU length of stay, days on inotropes and days on mechanical ventilation were not statistically significant between the 2 groups. Information obtained from hTEE changed ICU management in 72% of studies., Conclusion: Retrospective review of CF-LVAD patients revealed that postoperative hTEE is used in sicker CF-LVAD patients and frequently leads to changes in ICU clinical management., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To characterize contemporary practice patterns in the use of transesophageal echocardiography during adult liver transplantation and to identify factors preventing more frequent use., Design: Online questionnaire., Setting: Liver transplantation centers in the United States performing 12 or more adult liver transplants in 2011., Participants: One representative from each qualifying center: The transplant anesthesiology director, a transplant anesthesiologist personally known to the authors, or the department of anesthesiology chair., Interventions: Three e-mail attempts were made to solicit participation in the study between June and August 2012., Measurements and Main Results: Of the 97 institutions identified, an anesthesiologist from each of 79 (81.4%) centers completed the questionnaire; 38.0% of centers reported routine use and 57.0% for special circumstances or rescue situations, yielding an overall use rate of 94.9%. This distribution was consistent regardless of operative volume, practice size, or academic affiliation. The sole factor predictive of routine transesophageal echocardiography use was an overlap between an institution's cardiac and transplant anesthesiology teams. In practices not routinely employing the technology, the most compelling reason was a sense that it was not necessary. Although 69.9% of transplant anesthesiologists reportedly were proficient in echocardiography, inadequate anesthesiologist training was also a strongly cited hindrance., Conclusions: Transesophageal echocardiography during adult liver transplantation in the United States has become widely prevalent, with notable growth in its use as a routine diagnostic and monitoring modality. Almost all institutions now use the technology at least occasionally, with the participation of cardiac anesthesiologists being predictive of a center's routine use., (© 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) during liver transplantation (LT) has been shown to be helpful in managing fluid therapy, monitoring myocardial function, and identifying intraoperative LT complications. The present study sought to investigate the current utilization of TEE by anesthesiologists during LT as well as issues of training and credentialing in this monitoring modality., Design: A survey distributed by electronic mail., Setting: LT centers in the United States in which more than 50 liver transplantation procedures were performed annually., Participants: Survey respondents were contact persons in the LT divisions of the anesthesiology department of selected centers., Interventions: Data collection only., Measurement and Main Results: A total of 40 high-volume LT centers were identified, and survey responses were received from 30 of those. Among 217 anesthesiologists, 86% performed TEE in some or all LT cases. Most users performed a limited-scope examination, although some performed a comprehensive TEE examination during LT. Most users acquired their TEE skills informally. Only 12% of users were board certified to perform TEE, and only 1 center reported having a policy related to credentialing requirements for TEE., Conclusions: There is high utilization of intraoperative TEE by anesthesiologists to perform limited-scope examinations during LT cases. Training to perform such examinations is mostly informal, and credentialing processes are lacking. An opportunity exists to establish guidelines, training programs, and standards for quality assurance in the use of this valuable monitoring modality.

Objective: To assess the effects of routine intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) on surgical management of patients undergoing all types of cardiac surgery., Design: Prospective, observational., Setting: A single-institution, clinical investigation, university-affiliated hospital., Participants: Two hundred eighty-three consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery., Interventions: A comprehensive TEE examination was performed in every patient after the induction of anesthesia. An appropriate surgical plan was then developed. A focused TEE examination was also performed at the conclusion of surgery. Whether or not TEE findings represented new information and whether or not this new information altered surgical management was documented., Measurements and Main Results: There were 106 new TEE findings in 87 patients (31%). Half of the new findings involved the mitral valve, and a quarter involved the tricuspid valve. The new TEE information altered surgical management 77 ways in 71 patients (25%). Half of the altered surgical managements involved the mitral valve, and a third involved the tricuspid valve. In 8 patients (3%), TEE information influenced decisions regarding use/nonuse of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). In 2 patients, TEE examination after the separation from CPB prompted reinitiation of CPB. In 1 patient, TEE examination after the induction of general anesthesia prompted cancellation of surgery., Conclusions: The routine use of TEE during cardiac surgery revealed new cardiac pathology in 1 of every 3 patients and led to altered surgical management in 1 of every 4 patients. TEE information also influenced decisions regarding use/nonuse of CPB in 3% of patients. Thus, the authors suggest that intraoperative TEE should be used routinely in all patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test if parameters measured by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) could be useful to evaluate the hemodynamic status of high-risk cardiovascular patients and if this information was sufficient to make changes in intraoperative management., Design: Prospective clinical study., Setting: Single-university hospital., Participants: Ninety-eight patients undergoing noncardiac surgery., Interventions: Every patient was assessed with a baseline examination of 2-dimensional, color, pulsed, and continuous Doppler images. Intraoperative changes in any of the evaluated and measured parameters led to a specific change according to the protocol., Measurements and Main Results: After continuous monitoring with TEE during surgery, all patients were assigned to 1 of the following groups: (1) TEE was of no use, (2) TEE-directed intraoperative management changes, (3) intraoperative TEE-directed changes in postoperative management, and (4) TEE successfully used as a substitute for pulmonary artery catheter monitoring. Two patients (2%) were assigned to group 1, 47 (48%) patients to group 2, 25 (25%) patients to group 3, and 24 (24%) patients to group 4. The most frequent modifications in intraoperative management were changes in drug therapy and fluid administration. Postoperative management changes were mostly made because of new diagnosis (14%) and new left ventricular wall motion abnormalities (9%)., Conclusion: These results strongly suggest that objective measurements made by intraoperative TEE are effective in unveiling relevant clinical findings and useful information in high-risk patients undergoing noncardiac surgery.

Objective: Transesophageal echocardiographic examination tends to be somewhat observer and experience dependent, and observer bias can arise easily when data are calculated and interpreted by unskilled, nonblinded, or single observers. The study plan was to see whether authors have adequately described how observer bias is minimized in their studies. Thus, a study was conducted systematically reviewing methods reported in transesophageal echocardio graphy articles in peer-reviewed anesthesiology journals versus those reported in peer-reviewed cardiology journals., Interventions: After MEDLINE searches of the literature published from 1997 through 1999, the authors investigated 56 anesthesiology reports and 56 randomly selected, year-matched cardiology reports. An 8-item questionnaire was developed that examined several factors: the number of observers and their experience levels, whether observers were blind to clinical data, whether low-quality images were excluded, the use of on-line or off-line analysis, and observer variability., Main Results: The analysis revealed inadequacies in reporting of important information that relates to bias and quality in 91.1% of anesthesiology and 98.2% of cardiology articles. Observer variability was not reported in 50.0% of the anesthesiology reports and 67.9% of the cardiology reports; however, difference between the 2 bodies of literature was not significant. The journal impact factor was significantly higher for the cardiology literature than for the anesthesiology literature (2.42 [0.386-10.893] v 1.07 [0.664-3.439]; median [range], p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Articles reviewed had at least some inadequacies in reporting the methods to minimize observer bias in both the anesthesiology and cardiology literature. Reporting methodology standards in TEE examinations remain to be established.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of measuring cardiac output (CO) in the early post-cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) period by comparing thermodilution with Doppler methods., Design: Prospective and blinded human trial., Setting: Academic medical center., Participants: Thirty adult patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery., Measurements and Main Results: Thermodilution CO (TCO) was obtained in triplicate. Doppler CO (DCO) in triplicate was obtained at the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), aortic valve (AV), and right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). CO measurements were made (1). before CPB (baseline), (2). immediately after CPB, (3).15 minutes after CPB, and (4). 30 minutes after CPB. Before CPB, the DCO at LVOT, RVOT, and AV showed good correlations (r = 0.87, r = 0.88, and r = 0.84, respectively) with TCO. Bias analysis showed no significant difference among TCO and 3 DCOs (p > 0.05 each). Correlation between DCO and TCO decreased but remained significant after CPB (r between 0.57 and 0.85, p < 0.001). The bias among TCO and each of the DCOs at the LVOT, RVOT, and AV increased immediately after CPB (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, and p < 0.05, respectively) and remained significant at 15 minutes and 30 minutes post-CPB except for DCO at the AV. TCO exceeded DCO by 0.44 to 0.72 L/min immediately after CPB. The CO measured by both thermodilution and Doppler methods gradually decreased over time post-CPB. The decrease in CO was significant at 30 minutes post-CPB (p < 0.01)., Conclusion: This study adds further support that DCO is a clinically acceptable method to accurately assess the CO in patients even during periods of uneven regional body temperatures as may occur in the early post-CPB period., (Copyright 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine whether access to reimbursement increases anesthesiologists' use of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)., Design: Survey., Setting: United States., Participants: Members of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, local Medicare carriers., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: In year 2000, local Medicare carrier policies specifically allowed some form of reimbursement to the attending anesthesiologist for intraoperative TEE in 15 states, but barred all forms of reimbursement in 16 states and Puerto Rico. Data regarding utilization and billing were available for 702 members of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists from these jurisdictions who used TEE in their anesthetic practice. Billing patterns were found to vary significantly according to the local Medicare policy in effect (p = 0.004). Use of intraoperative TEE was found to be unrelated, however, to the reimbursement available from Medicare (p = 0.2 to 0.7)., Conclusion: The use of intraoperative TEE by anesthesiologists does not seem to be related to the availability of reimbursement from Medicare., (Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine the quantitative utility of transesophageal echocardiographic assessments of left ventricular function in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease by evaluating the variability between observers and between echocardiographic windows., Design: Retrospective, blinded analysis., Setting: University-associated pediatric hospital., Participants: Transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiographic images of 25 pediatric patients with congenital heart disease were reviewed., Interventions: None., Measurements and Main Results: End-diastolic area, end-systolic area, and fractional area change were measured from short-axis images of the left ventricle at the midpapillary level by two separate investigators. These measurements were compared by the method of Bland and Altman and Sheiner and Beal. Significant differences in measurements of end-diastolic and end-systolic area by different observers were noted, but they were systematic. A similar situation was noted for the comparison of transthoracic and transesophageal measurements of end-diastolic and end-systolic area. In the comparison of fractional area change between observers or windows, bias and absolute prediction error were lower, with 95% confidence limits of bias or absolute prediction error of 10% or less., Conclusions: The potential error in the measurement of fractional area change in 10% under optimal conditions. This would suggest that the assessment of ventricular function in the operating room or intensive care unit, under less than optimal conditions, should be viewed as a qualitative, rather quantitative, measurement. There may be significant interobserver and interwindow variability.

Continuous estimation of cardiac output would be extremely useful for hemodynamic monitoring of patients in the operating room and intensive care settings. A recently developed echocardiographic imaging system provides real-time automated border detection (ABD) with the ability to measure cyclic changes in cavity area, and thus calculate changes in intracavitary volumes. Eight patients undergoing cardiac surgery were studied with intraoperative transesophageal (TEE), and cardiac outputs obtained with this new imaging system were compared with thermodilution (TD). Triplicate measurements were obtained simultaneously at five intraoperative times, three before and two after cardiopulmonary bypass. The 91 of 120 measurements with adequate TEE and TD data were analyzed. The average difference between the two techniques (bias) was -0.2 +/- 1.3 L/min. The limits of agreement (bias +/- 2 SD) were -2.8 L/min to 2.4 L/min. The average of the absolute value of the difference between measurements made with the two techniques was 0.9 +/- 0.8 L/min. Linear regression yielded the equation: ABD = 0.64TD + 1.57 L/min (r = 0.71). The average difference between the two techniques (bias) for detecting changes in cardiac output between sequential intraoperative times was 0.1 +/- 1.1 L/min. With further development, this new method shows promise for measurement of cardiac output in selected patient care settings.