Reviewing Patient Esophageal Pathology
Carefully review a patient's medical history for obstructing pathologies or anatomical
irregularities before performing a TEE exam.
Ensuring Proper Transducer Maintenance
Thoroughly examine the transducer and test the controls before each exam. Be sure to check
for excessive flexibility in the tip. See “TEE Transducer Inspection” on page 223.
TEE Temperature Sensing
The transesophageal transducers contain built-in temperature sensors near the distal tip. The
sensor monitors the transducer’s temperature to prevent potential burning of esophageal
tissue. The patient’s actual temperature is required to accurately estimate the distal tip
temperature. By default the system assumes that the patient temperature is 37°C (98.6°F). You
must manually enter the actual patient temperature if it is above 37°C (98.6°F).
The Auto-Cool feature provides warning messages at two points:
• At 41.0°C (105.8°F), the TEE Auto Cool Imminent message appears.
• At 42.5°C (108.5°F), the TEE Auto Cool In Progress message appears, and the system
automatically stops scanning.
WARNING
If the patient temperature is above 37°C (98.6°F) and the Patient Temp control is set below
the actual patient temperature, then the system can overestimate the temperature of the
TEE transducer's distal tip. This can prematurely trigger the Auto-Cool feature. If the patient
temperature is at or near 37°C (98.6°F) and the Patient Temp control is set above the actual
patient temperature, then the system can underestimate the temperature of the distal tip.
This can expose patients to excessive temperatures.
Transesophageal Transducers
TEE Temperature Sensing
228 EPIQ 7 User Manual 4535 617 25341
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