Ultrasonography for haemodynamic monitoring.

Echocardiography has become an indispensable tool in the evaluation of medical and surgical patients. As ultrasound (US) machines have become more widely available and significantly more compact, there has been an exponential growth in the use of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) and other devices in the perioperative setting. Here, we review recent findings relevant to the use of perioperative US, with a special focus on the haemodynamic management of the surgical patient.