Usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography in patients with hemodynamic deterioration late after cardiac surgery.

Two patients with large pericardial thrombi following cardiac surgery presented as having right cardiac tamponade. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) identified a large pericardial hematoma compressing the right atrium and was well tolerated by these critically ill patients. These case reports demonstrate the diagnostic value of TEE in the identification of this severe complication in the late postoperative period.