Inadequate recording in perioperative transoesophageal views highlights the need for a standard approach in documentation of the views: a newly proposed format

Perioperative Transoesophageal Echocardiography (TOE) is being utilized in cardiac and non-cardiac surgeries impacting surgical decision making and anaesthetic management. A comprehensive set of guidelines for perioperative TOE examination have been set forth to standardize the nomenclature and report the TOE findings. However, there have been gaps in the recording and storage of all the standardized TOE views on the echocardiography machine resulting in in-complete and non-systematic documentation. Complete recording of the TOE views will not only ensure correct surgical and anaesthetic conclusions in special and difficult situations but also provide a strong medico legal support for the perioperative echocardiographer and the surgeon.