Perioperative Transthoracic Echocardiography

Abstract

Cardiac ultrasound has evolved substantially since the 1970s. Its high quality images provide useful information on cardiac morphology, physiology and functionality that complimenting standard physical examination in many acute care settings including the perioperative period. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is a cardiac ultrasound modality with comparable diagnostic and monitoring capabilities to and yet less invasive than the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). This chapter will discuss the feasibility and impact of TTE use in the perioperative setting, the TTE expertise pyramid, various focused TTE protocols and a “TTE Toolbox” proposed by the authors.