Day of Procedure
Your physician has scheduled you for a Trans-Esophageal Echocardiogram procedure at UMC. You will need to arrive one hour prior to your scheduled time. It is very important that you have had nothing to eat or drink after midnight. When you arrive at the Outpatient Center, you will sign in at the front desk to await registration. Once you are registered, you will be escorted to the Heart Center where a team member will interview you to obtain your medical history. Please be sure to bring with you a complete list of all medications, prescription and over-the-counter, that you are currently taking. Be sure to include the dosage of the medication(s) and how often you take each one.
Please bring no more than 2 visitors or family members with you for your procedure. There is very limited seating in the waiting area and we want your family members to be comfortable during their wait time while your procedure is being performed. You and your family members/visitors will be escorted from the waiting room to the area where the procedure will be performed. At that time, you will be asked to change into a hospital gown. Your valuables will then be given to your family member (or visitor) to keep while your procedure is being performed and they will be escorted back to the waiting area. The nurse will give you and your visitors an expected time frame of how long the procedure will take. Please be sure to have a responsible adult remain at UMC throughout the entire length of the procedure.
Procedure
You will be taken to a private area where your medical history can be reviewed and consent signed. DO NOT BE ALARMED IF YOU ARE ASKED SIMILAR QUESTIONS by different staff on several occasions. This is used as a safety check before your procedure. It will be necessary to have an IV started at this time. Your vital signs must be monitored at all times during your procedure and the nurse will attach you to a unit that will automatically perform the monitoring. The cardiologist that will perform the procedure will introduce himself or herself and will discuss with you the risks and benefits of the procedure. After that has taken place, the anesthetist will give you medication that will allow you to sleep during the procedure.
Recovery
In the recovery area, your vital signs will continue to be monitored and a nurse will assess you. You should not have any pain, but your throat will be numb. You will be given something cold to drink and should avoid all hot liquids for a period of 8 hours. You may have one visitor remain with you during this recovery time. You will remain in this area for 30 – 60 minutes after the procedure.
Post- Procedure
You will be given instructions specific to your procedure prior to your discharge. You must have a responsible adult to drive you home. You will not be allowed to go home in a cab or on a bus unless you have a responsible adult with you. These arrangements MUST BE made prior to the day of your procedure.