For most point-of-care needs, one can do both basic and more advanced applications of echocardiography with transthoracic scanning. However, there ARE times whereby having ability to perform transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) can be extremely helpful in the point-of-care.

This is especially true when windows are hard to obtain in transthoracic echo (TTE) during a technically difficult study, or when a more sensitive and specific modality is required to help with various diagnoses (i.e. endocarditis, cardiac source of emboli, shunts, dissection), or during procedural guidance (i.e. veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation insertion).

In this series of case presentations Dr. Rob Arntfield, MD, FRCPC and Dr. Vincent Lau, critical care medicine alumnus and critical care ultrasound fellow at Western University, introduces various advanced concepts with regards to performing critical care TEEs.