The Other Side of the Coin: Transesophageal Echocardiography Complications following Cardiac Surgery and Transcatheter Structural Heart Interventions

Abstract

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is widely used in cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology and is often an indispensable tool, giving supportive anatomical understanding and smooth guidance in both settings. Despite it being considered safe, fatal complications can commonly occur after a TEE examination in cardiac surgery operating rooms and catheterization laboratories. Currently, there is a lack of awareness of the scale of the problem, as there are only small amounts of data available, mainly derived from the surgical literature. This review summarizes the main predisposing factors for TEE-associated complications (classified as patient and procedure-related) and the main preventive strategies. We aim to apply preventive strategies more broadly, especially to patients at high risk of developing TEE-related serious adverse events.