Echocardiography following cardiac surgery can be regarded as a subspecialty of critical care echocardiography, as it requires knowledge of the specifics of each surgical intervention and potential complications, as well as in-depth knowledge of cardiac anatomy and physiology. It has a significant overlap with intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) but they are not synonymous. This chapter outlines the general approach to evaluate the postoperative cardiac surgical patient using echocardiography, as well as specific considerations for common cardiac surgical procedures, and some of the potential pitfalls that exist. As there are increasing numbers of transcatheter/hybrid interventions now being undertaken, this chapter additionally includes a section on postcatheter complications. The final section addresses areas where echocardiography can be used to guide the use of extracorporeal support on the surgical cardiac intensive care unit.
Distal oesophageal stricture after transoesophageal echocardiography in a cardiac surgical patient
