Transesophageal Echocardiography During Ventricular Fibrillation

Sudden cardiac death is most frequently caused by spontaneous onset of ventricular fibrillation (VF), during which the rhythmic heart contractions transform into chaotic, vermiform, and inefficient activity of the myocardium while the pulsatile pulmonary and systemic blood flow circuits stop. Little information is available on the anatomical and hemodynamic changes that occur during VF. These changes could be seen in humans with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). In the present report, we describe an 81-year-old man with a history of hypertension and upper gastrointestinal bleeding who was admitted with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with high ventricular response (160 bpm) and heart failure. Given the impossibility of anticoagulation and to control hemodynamic compromise, TEE …