RESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Despite the well documented safety of Transesophageal Echocardiograms (TEE), inpatient gastroenterology (GI) services are called to clear patients for the procedure when they have GI symptoms or comorbidities ranging from mild to clinically significant. We aimed to assess the clinical utility of such consults in preventing TEE complications. METHODS: We performed a prospective cohort study of all inpatients at our institution who had a TEE ordered from 7/1/2021 through 7/1/2022. Patients' demographic information, indications for TEE, complications from TEE, 30-day readmission rates, GI team recommendations, and the results of any GI-related interventions were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: There were 732 patients who had a TEE ordered during our study period, of whom 641 (87.51%) underwent the procedure. Of the 91 (12.49%) who did not have a TEE, none were canceled due to a GI-related concern. There were 23/641 (3.59%) patients with complications from the TEE, none of which were GI-related. The GI team was consulted on 36 patients (4.96% of TEEs ordered) and cleared 22/36 (61.11%) with no further testing while the remaining 14/36 patients (38.89%) underwent workups that were largely normal. Patients who had a GI consult prior to their TEE had a significantly longer time between their TEE being ordered and the TEE being done compared to those who did not have a GI consult prior to their TEE (4.50 days vs 0.77 days, p <0.01). DISCUSSION: Inpatient GI team workups to clear patients for a TEE found no contraindications to TEEs, did not change patient care plans, and led to increased hospital costs and lengths of stay.