Standard Setting for Clinical Performance of Basic Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography: Moving beyond the Written Test.

BACKGROUND: Credible methods for assessing competency in basic perioperative transesophageal echocardiography examinations have not been reported. The authors' objective was to demonstrate the collection of real-world basic perioperative transesophageal examination performance data and establish passing scores for each component of the basic perioperative transesophageal examination, as well as a global passing score for clinical performance of the basic perioperative transesophageal examination using the Angoff method. METHODS: National Board of Echocardiography (Raleigh, North Carolina) advanced perioperative transesophageal echocardiography-certified anesthesiologists (n = 7) served as subject matter experts for two Angoff standard-setting sessions. The first session was held before data analysis, and the second session for calibration of passing scores was held 9 months later. The performance of 12 anesthesiology residents was assessed via the new passing score grading system. RESULTS: The first standard-setting procedure resulted in a global passing score of 63 ± 13% on a basic perioperative transesophageal examination. The global passing score from the second standard-setting session was 73 ± 9%. Three hundred seventy-one basic perioperative transesophageal examinations from 12 anesthesiology residents were included in the analysis and used to guide the second standard-setting session. All residents scored higher than the global passing score from both standard-setting sessions. CONCLUSIONS: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration that the collection of real-world anesthesia resident basic perioperative transesophageal examination clinical performance data is possible and that automated grading for competency assessment is feasible. The authors' findings demonstrate at least minimal basic perioperative transesophageal examination clinical competency of the 12 residents.

Minimally invasive thoracic left ventricular assist device implantation; case series demonstrating an integrated multidisciplinary strategy.

OBJECTIVES: The present report describes the authors' initial experience with implantation of the Heartware left ventricular assist devices (HeartWare Inc., Framingham, MA). via a minimally invasive surgical approach without cardiopulmonary bypass. A detailed overview of the anesthesiologist's role during the procedure, characteristics of the patient population, and short-term clinical outcomes are provided, and the clinical considerations that influence the decision to implant this device via an off-pump minimally invasive approach are outlined. DESIGN: Retrospective medical record review. SETTING: University hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen patients with advanced heart failure deemed candidates for off-pump minimally invasive left ventricular Heartware implantation as a bridge to heart transplantation. INTERVENTIONS: The Heartware left ventricular assist device was implanted in all 13 patients via a minimally invasive approach. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One patient required unplanned cardiopulmonary bypass to control bleeding around the left ventricular outflow cannula. The average operating room time was 249.8 minutes±46.2 minutes. Six of 13 patients required no intraoperative red blood cell transfusions. Seven patients were extubated within 12 hours after surgery. Two patients required reintubation within 48 hours. No patients required reoperation for bleeding. Average intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay were 7.2±3.9 days and 13.4±3.6 days, respectively. There were no in-hospital deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive off-pump left ventricular Heartware implantation is an emerging alternative to placement by midline sternotomy. The authors speculate, based on their limited experience, that an off-pump thoracic strategy may be a desirable option for some patients and that clinical outcomes may be non-inferior to placement by midline sternotomy with cardiopulmonary bypass.

Etomidate use and postoperative outcomes among cardiac surgery patients.

BACKGROUND: Although a single dose of etomidate can cause relative adrenal insufficiency, the impact of etomidate exposure on postoperative outcomes is unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the association between a single induction dose of etomidate and clinically important postoperative outcomes after cardiac surgery. METHODS: The authors retrospectively examined the association between etomidate exposure during induction of anesthesia and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery from January 2007 to December 2009 by using multivariate logistic regression analyses and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. Postoperative outcomes of interest were severe hypotension, mechanical ventilation hours, hospital length of stay, and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of 3,127 patients received etomidate. Etomidate recipients had a higher incidence of preoperative congestive heart failure (23.0 vs. 18.3%; P = 0.002) and a lower incidence of preoperative cardiogenic shock (1.3 vs. 4.0%; P < 0.001). The adjusted odds ratio for severe hypotension and in-hospital mortality associated with receiving etomidate was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.58-1.09) and 0.75 (95% CI, 0.45-1.24), respectively, and the adjusted hazard ratio for time to mechanical ventilation removal and time to hospital discharge was 1.10 (95% CI, 1.00-1.21) and 1.07 (95% CI, 0.97-1.18), respectively. Propensity score analysis did not change the association between etomidate use and postoperative outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, there was no evidence to suggest that etomidate exposure was associated with severe hypotension, longer mechanical ventilation hours, longer length of hospital stay, or in-hospital mortality. Etomidate should remain an option for induction of anesthesia in cardiac surgery patients.

Hemodynamic transesophageal echocardiography after left ventricular assist device implantation.

OBJECTIVE: The authors hypothesized that the clinical profile of patients undergoing hTEE after continuous flow left ventricular assist device (CF-LVAD) implant would be in patients with greater acuity, more blood product utilization, and longer length of ICU stay, and that hTEE would change clinical management. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: University hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred consecutive patients receiving a CF-LVAD. INTERVENTIONS: Retrospective review using a standardized electronic form of a miniaturized disposable transesophageal echocardiography probe that documented not only physical findings but also changes in hemodynamic management (hTEE) in CF-LVAD patients. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 100 patients, 41 received an hTEE probe. The INTERMACS score, Leitz-Miller Score, and Kormos score indicated the hTEE group had a statistically significant greater risk of morbidity and mortality. Interoperatively, the hTEE group received more blood products and was more likely to have an open chest. Postoperatively, the hTEE group received more blood products, had a longer total length of stay, and had increased mortality. ICU length of stay, days on inotropes and days on mechanical ventilation were not statistically significant between the 2 groups. Information obtained from hTEE changed ICU management in 72% of studies. CONCLUSION: Retrospective review of CF-LVAD patients revealed that postoperative hTEE is used in sicker CF-LVAD patients and frequently leads to changes in ICU clinical management.

Episodic monoplane transesophageal echocardiography impacts postoperative management of the cardiac surgery patient.

OBJECTIVE: A new slender, flexible, and miniaturized disposable monoplane transesophageal TEE probe has been approved for episodic hemodynamic transesophageal echocardiographic monitoring. The authors hypothesized that episodic monoplane TEE with a limited examination would help guide the postoperative management of high-risk cardiac surgery patients. DESIGN: The authors analyzed the initial consecutive observational experience with the miniaturized transesophageal echocardiography monitoring system (ClariTEE, ImaCor, Uniondale, New York). SETTING: Single institution in a university setting. PARTICIPANTS: Unstable cardiac surgery patients. INTERVENTIONS: The authors assessed fluid responsiveness, echocardiographic data, and concordance among hemodynamic data. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: From June 2010 to February 2011, 21 unstable cardiac surgery patients with postoperative instability were identified. Two patients (10%) required reoperation for bleeding and tamponade physiology. Right ventricular dysfunction was diagnosed by episodic TEE monitoring in 7 patients (33%), while hypovolemia was documented in 12 patients (57%). Volume responsiveness was documented in 11 patients. In this observational study, discordance between hemodynamic monitoring and episodic TEE was qualitatively observed in 14 patients (66%). CONCLUSION: The authors demonstrated the ability of episodic monoplane TEE to identify discordance between hemodynamic monitoring to better define clinical scenarios in unstable cardiac surgery patients. For these challenging patients, limited episodic TEE assessment has become a cornerstone of ICU care in this institution.

Comparison of expert and novice performance of a simulated transesophageal echocardiography examination.

INTRODUCTION: Training in transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) requires a significant commitment of time and resources on behalf of the trainees and the instructors. Training opportunities may be limited in the busy clinical environment. Medical simulation has emerged as a complementary means by which to develop clinical skills. Transesophageal echocardiography simulators have been commercially available for several years, yet their ability to distinguish experts from novices has not been demonstrated. We used a standardized assessment tool to distinguish experts from novices using a commercially available TEE simulator. METHODS: Anesthesiologists certified in advanced perioperative TEE and anesthesiology resident physicians were recruited into the expert and novice cohorts, respectively. The cohorts were recruited from 2 academic medical centers. The novice cohort received a structured introduction to the basic TEE examination. Both cohorts then proceeded to perform a basic TEE examination involving normal cardiac anatomy, which was evaluated by blinded raters using a standardized assessment tool. RESULTS: The expert cohort consistently demonstrated the ability to obtain standard TEE imaging views in less time and more accurately than the novice cohort during the course of a simulated TEE examination. CONCLUSIONS: A simulated transesophageal examination of normal cardiac anatomy in concert with a standardized assessment tool permits ample discrimination between expert and novice echocardiographers as defined for this investigation. Future research will examine in detail the role echocardiography simulators should play during echocardiography training including assessment of training level.