Vicente Font, MD performs a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) on one of his patients and discusses the procedure. To learn more about Holy Cross Hospital, visit http://www.holy-cross.com. ————————- 9/3/13: A viewer recently left a question in our comments section regarding the safety of this procedure. Dr. Font’s response was too long to be left as a reply to that comment, so here it is for your information: Response from Dr. Font: SAFETY OF TEE EXAMINATION — The standards and guidelines for TEE competence have been published by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association and can be easily downloaded from the internet. Although TEE is considered a moderately invasive test and is generally performed with some sort of sedation, TEE is considered safe in experienced hands and may be completed in almost all patients when performed by a trained physician. Serious complications are extremely rare with TEE, and has been estimated at less than 1 in 5000. While death during TEE has been rarely reported, complications such as esophageal perforation (about 0.01% risk), gastrointestinal bleeding, pharyngeal hematoma, are more likely to occur but only rarely are fatal. Minor complications can be seen in fewer than 1 in 500 examinations. These may include transient bronchospasm (asthma), transient hypoxia (low blood oxygen), transient arrhythmias, minimal mucosal bleeding, or vomiting. Minor complications generally resolve spontaneously without specific treatment following termination of the procedure.