ABSTRACT
Since the introduction of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) during cardiac surgery in the 1980s, technological advances have dramatically influenced the way physicians use TEE. In the very early stages, the main application of TEE was assessment of global and regional left ventricular (LV) function. Now, the use of TEE has expanded beyond the cardiac operating room (OR), and its clinical usefulness is recognized in various noncardiac surgical procedures and in the intensive care unit (ICU).
