TEE in Pediatric Anesthesia

[HalO'Thane]

Does anyone have any insight or experience with the use of TEE for non-cardiac surgery in pediatric cases? I have only heard of one institution, Boston Children's, utilizing this but wasn't sure if there were other practices that did so. As in adults, I always felt that this could have useful implications in pediatric patients for extensive surgeries, traumas, and code situations. I just haven't heard it being utilized in the pediatric setting.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[IlDestriero]

Does anyone have any insight or experience with the use of TEE for non-cardiac surgery in pediatric cases? I have only heard of one institution, Boston Children's, utilizing this but wasn't sure if there were other practices that did so. As in adults, I always felt that this could have useful implications in pediatric patients for extensive surgeries, traumas, and code situations. I just haven't heard it being utilized in the pediatric setting.

During my fellowship we used it occasionally for some very unstable or tenuous patients. TTE seems to be making a bit of a resurgence in the PICU/NICU. There's talk of doing it more in the OR. Time will tell.

 

[HalO'Thane]

Did your fellowship program have their own TEE machine for non-cardiac cases or did you borrow one from Cardiology/Cardiac OR's? If so, was that difficult to do?

TTE and other modes of diagnostic US is something that I have been looking into as well. It also seems much more convenient since it is a lot easier for us to acquire an ultrasound machine than it is to acquire a TEE machine.

 

[IlDestriero]

We borrowed a machine from the cardiac team. As long as we planned it, it wasn't an issue.