Transesophageal echocardiogram
Find a heart specialistGetting a transesophageal echocardiogram, or TEE, gives your doctor a good view of your heart health through high-quality images of the heart and its blood vessels.
At Aurora Health Care, we’re here to help you be comfortable throughout the process and work with you to develop the best treatment plan for you based on your test results.
What is a TEE test?
TEE uses sound waves to see your heart and other structures inside your body. For this test, we’ll put a small tube into your mouth and down your esophagus. The tip of the tube sends out sound waves that “echo” within your chest. The echoes are picked up by a computer and create pictures of your heart and major vessels for your doctor to see.
We’ll schedule a TEE for you to:
- Find congenital defects
- Look for heart muscle and valve problems
- Check if an artificial valve is working well
- Find the source of blood clots if you’ve had a stroke
Prior to your test, you’ll meet with a cardiologist for an exam and to discuss your medical history, including medications you take, allergies and if you have conditions such as ulcers, hiatal hernia or problems swallowing.
Let us know if you think you might be pregnant. We usually give sedatives before a TEE and may need to change the dose to protect your baby.
We'll also discuss personalized guidelines to prepare you for the test including:
- Not eating or drinking anything eight hours before your procedure
- Any medications you may need to stop taking
- Removing any dentures, partials or eyeglasses
- Answering your questions and concerns
The TEE test takes about 20 to 40 minutes, but you should plan for two to three hours from the time you arrive until you leave.
You’ll receive a mild sedative to help you relax during the procedure, but you’ll still be awake. For your exam, we’ll attach electrodes to your chest so we can monitor your heart rate and your heart’s electrical activity.
You’ll lie on your left side. Your cardiologist will numb your throat with a spray medicine and ask you to take slow, deep breaths to help relax the muscles in the back of your throat.
We’ll gently insert a tube into your throat and ask you to swallow, which moves the tube into your esophagus. You may feel the doctor moving the probe, but it shouldn’t be painful or interfere with your breathing. When the TEE test is finished, your doctor will slowly remove the tube.
We’ll continue monitoring you until you’re fully awake to be sure your blood pressure, breathing and heart rhythm are stable. Make sure you have someone drive you home.
You’ll want to refrain from eating or drinking for an hour after the test since your throat will still be numb. You might have a slight sore throat for a few hours as the medication wears off.
Your doctor will follow up with you to discuss the test result and recommend further testing or a treatment plan as needed.
Call your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms:
- Bleeding from your mouth
- Fever
- Pain at the site of your IV for more than a day
- Sore throat lasting more than two days
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