The utility of bedside transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the diagnosis and management of critically ill patients in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Units has been well established and represents the standard of care in the evaluation of patients with acute hemodynamic decompensation. However, due to several technical limitations, the acquisition and interpretation of TTE images may be inadequate in a significant portion of critically ill patients. Regardless of externally limiting factors, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) reliably obtains high-quality images and provides the information needed to guide decision-making at the point of care during resuscitation.

Resuscitative TEE

IS THE PRACTICE OF TEE AT THE POINT-OF-CARE, USING A FOCUSED PROTOCOL WITH THE GOAL OF PROVIDING DIAGNOSTIC AND HEMODYNAMIC INFORMATION AND SUPPORTING DECISION-MAKING DURING THE RESUSCITATION OF CRITICALLY-ILL PATIENTS. 

The Resuscitative TEE Project

The Resuscitative TEE Project is an independent collaboration of a multidisciplinary group of leaders in emergency medicine, intensive care, cardiology, and anesthesiology aimed at advancing, disseminating knowledge, and promoting excellence in the use of focused transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in emergency and critical care settings. Its mission is to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes through clinical research, education, and multi-institutional collaboration.

Key strategic goals of the project include:

1. Enhancing Education & Training – Developing high-quality educational opportunities and hands-on workshops to empower clinicians with the necessary skills to perform and interpret focused TEE in emergency and critical care scenarios.

2. Generating Evidence – Conducting multi-center clinical studies to evaluate the impact of TEE on cardiac arrest management, hemodynamic assessment, and procedural guidance.

3. Standardizing Best Practices – Establishing guidelines and protocols for training, image acquisition, and interpretation to enhance the clinical impact of focused TEE.

Fostering Collaboration – Leveraging the Resuscitative TEE Collaborative Registry (rTEECoRe) research network to unite emergency medicine, critical care, and cardiology experts to share data, refine techniques, and facilitate implementation.