• M Michel-Cherqui, A Ceddaha, N Liu, S Schlumberger, B Szekely, A Brusset, V Bonnet, J Bachet, B Goudot, G Dreyfus, D Guilmet, and M Fischler.
• Département d'Anesthésie and the Service de Chirurgie Cardio-Vasculaire, Hôpital Foch, Suresnes, France.
• J. Cardiothorac. Vasc. Anesth. 2000 Feb 1;14(1):45-50.

ObjectiveTo determine the usefulness of systematic intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography in a cardiac surgical unit.DesignOpen prospective observational survey.SettingUniversity Hospital.ParticipantsConsecutive adult patients (n = 203) undergoing elective or urgent cardiac operations.Measurements And Main ResultsPre-cardiopulmonary bypass imaging yielded unsuspected findings in 26 patients (12.8%) and changed the planned surgery in 22 patients (10.8%). Transesophageal echocardiography modified the diagnosis in eight patients (17%) operated on for mitral valvulopathy, in seven patients (15.5%) with aortic valvular disease, in four patients (4.6%) with coronary artery disease, in five patients operated on for thoracic aorta diseases regardless of their localization (18.5%), and in two miscellaneous cases. On the basis of the data obtained from the transesophageal echocardiography carried out at the end of cardiopulmonary bypass, an immediate reintervention was required in five cases (2.5%).ConclusionsIt is concluded that systematic intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography significantly affected decision making in this cardiac surgical unit. Its routine use in all cardiac surgical patients is recommended.

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