An intraoperative transesophageal echocardiogram (tee) was being conducted by the anesthesia provider after induction but prior to surgical incision.The image from the philips tee transducer was very poor, and the anesthesia provider was unable to confirm that the mitral valve repair was leaking.The tee probe was removed, marked for repair, and replaced with a different tee probe.According to the anesthesia provider, the image on the 2nd tee probe was only marginally better and he still wasn't able to visualize the mitral valve leak.The surgeon was called to the room to discuss cancelling the procedure.The surgeon and the anesthesia provider reviewed the pre-operative echo from the cardiology office and were able to identify the mitral valve leak.The procedure proceeded as planned.
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