Validation of Strain and Strain Rate: a pilot study comparing transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting

This is an observational prospective pilot study comparing myocardial strain values obtained with both TTE and TOE, involving patients undergoing off pump CABG (OPCAB).

Forty patients undergoing OPCAB will be included in this study. Beside standard clinical practice a transthoracic echocardiography will be performed three times perioperatively, i.e. before induction of anesthesia, before start of surgery, at the end of surgery. TTE data will be compared with TOE data to assess validity of the latter. Near infrared spectroscopy electrodes will be applied on the thorax of the patient, above the heart, outside the surgical field. Data of regional tissue oxygenation will be compared with echocardiographic data.
Patients undergoing this study will not incur any extra risk, beside those from the operation itself

The primary endpoint of this study is to assess if myocardial strain and strain rate -measured with tissue Doppler and 2D speckle tracking- determined with TOE is comparable with cardiac strain and strain rate determined with TTE.

Secondary endpoint is to validate echocardiographic systolic and diastolic parameters comparing values obtained with TTE with those obtained with TOE.

Pre operative

Perioperative

Post operative

There will be no medical intervention based on the data obtained with the study.