Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of complications and death in,
the United States, affecting nearly GO million Americans in 1998 and costin
g an estimated $274.2 billion. A major contributor to the costs of cardiova
scular disease is atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is the most common sustained
arrhythmia and affects > 2.2 million people and similar to 5% of all perso
ns over the age of 60. Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) with short-te
rm anticoagulation has been proposed as a viable strategy to guide patients
with AF. Here, we (1) review the current environmental context for a TEE-g
uided approach, (2) summarize the existing literature on the economic aspec
ts of TEE, and (3) outline art, economic framework for an economic analysis
of TEE investigation or any major clinical therapy. We conclude that more
powerful analytical tools are evolving to analyze the important economic, c
linical, and social aspects of a patient's medical encounter.