Echocardiography in the operating room

Intraoperative echocardiography was introduced in the 1980s and has been in creasingly used over the last few years, mainly for two reasons : the devel opment of transoesophageal probes and conservative mitral valve surgery. In traoperative echocardiography requires close collaboration between the card iologist, surgeon and anesthesiologist. The cardiologist or anaesthetist must have a good theoretical and,practical training in echocardiography and also be familiar with the cardiac surgery environment (operative techniques, principles of cardiopulmonary bypass, h aemodynamic consequences of anaesthetic agents) to talk a common language. The investigation provides essential information for the surgeon which can only be obtained in the intraoperative setting : morphology and function of the valves, myocardial function, to guide the surgical approach. At the en d of the procedure, intraoperative echocardiography demonstrates the immedi ate functional result, a safety net for the surgeon, and also indicates the haemodynamic status of the patient for rational therapeutic choice. Systematic use or selected use in some centers, of intraoperative echocardi ography improves patient management and reduces the global cost of the oper ative procedure.