Revista portuguesa de cardiologia : orgão oficial da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia = Portuguese journal of cardiology : an official journal of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology
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Transesophageal echocardiography is an extremely useful technique for the study of various cardiovascular pathologies. In the particular setting of emergency, it is of great value for prompt diagnosis and appropriate therapy. It was our aim to evaluate, in our hospital, the benefits obtained by the use of transesophageal echocardiography in an emergency setting. ⋯ TEE examination yielded additional information and helped in the therapeutic decision in 88 patients (90.7%), leading to a diagnosis in 49 (50.6%), which was different from the initial diagnostic hypothesis in four, and exclusion of the suspected diagnosis in 39 (40.1%). There was only one minor complication (1.0%) and no TEE-related mortality. We concluded that transesophageal echocardiography is an extremely useful and safe cardiovascular diagnostic technique in an emergency setting in a district general hospital, enabling a diagnosis to be reached or excluded in almost all patients, which is essential for implementing appropriate therapy.