Enhancement of Contrast Opacification for Echocardiographic Imaging of the Right Heart and Shunts

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a test that produces pictures of the heart. TEE uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to make detailed pictures of the heart and the arteries that lead to and from it. Unlike a standard echocardiogram, the echo transducer that produces the sound waves for TEE is attached to a thin tube that passes through the mouth, down the throat and into the esophagus. Because the esophagus is so close to the upper chambers of the heart, very clear images of those heart structures and valves can be obtained.

"An echocardiogram is a type of ultrasound test that uses high-pitched sound waves that are sent through a device called a transducer. The device picks up echoes of the sound waves as they bounce off the different parts of the heart. These echoes are turned into moving pictures of the heart that can be seen on a video screen.~Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) is the most common type of echocardiogram. Views of the heart are obtained by moving the transducer to different locations on the chest or abdominal wall."

The Saline/Air mixture consists of 10 milliliters of sterile saline and 0.5 milliliters of air agitated together in a syringe prior to injection.

The Saline/Blood mixture consists of 9 milliliters of sterile saline and 0.5 - 1.0 milliliters of blood agitated together in a syringe prior to injection.