Development of a Rescue Echocardiography Protocol for Noncardiac Surgery Patients.

Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a helpful diagnostic tool when hemodynamic compromise is encountered during noncardiac surgery. At our institution, a Rescue Echo Protocol was created to provide a structured means for requesting and performing a rescue TEE. We analyzed our institutional utilization of this service and found that it was used throughout the spectrum of patients' American Society of Anesthesiologists classifications and surgical services. We demonstrated that 72.9% of rescue examinations resulted in a change in management, supporting the use of TEE as a diagnostic tool during hemodynamic compromise.