[An experience with transthoracic echocardiography after heart surgery]

In order to determine if routine use of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) shortly after heart surgery could have a role in postoperative management, we carried out TTE in postoperative patients operated on for CABG or valvular repair.

For a 3 months period, we prospectively enrolled 51 patients for TTE. We performed a TTE using a Hewlett Packard Sonos 1500 and a 2.5 MHz probe. Feasibility, left ventricular kinesis, valve function, intracardiac thrombi, and pericardial effusion were noted for each patient. Patients have been divided into 2 groups: patients with or, without haemodynamic disturbance (HD, mean arterial blood pressure < or = 80 mmHg).

Nine TTE were impossible for bad acoustic images. Feasibility was about 82% (42 TTE/51 patients). Two ETT views were easily obtained: the apical 4-chambers (75%) and the subcostal (30%) views. TTE examination induced treatment change in 12 patients for hypovolaemia (ten patients), left ventricular dysfunction (one patient), and systolic anterior motion of mitral valve (one patient). In patients without HD (41 patients) only hypovolaemia was found (three patients) and TTE returned to normal with fluid challenge. In patients with HD (ten patients), one patient returned to the operating room for valvular replacement, one patient was treated with dobutamine for left ventricular dysfunction, seven patients with hypovolaemia recovered with fluid challenge.

TTE can guide postoperative management of patients operated on for heart surgery especially in patients with haemodynamic disturbance. Because of its safety and easiness, TTE may be the first-line examination in these patients before any invasive evaluation.