Can a special heart ultrasound help ICU doctors see what standard scans miss?
NCT ID NCT06178471
First seen Sep 04, 2026 · Last updated Sep 04, 2026
Summary
This trial tests whether intensive care doctors in Hong Kong can safely and effectively use transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to examine the heart in patients with severe heart or lung failure. TEE uses a small ultrasound probe passed down the throat, giving clearer images than standard chest ultrasound when patients have bandages, chest tubes, or other factors that block the view. The study will enroll adults on breathing machines in the intensive care unit who need this exam, and will track complications and how often the test changes treatment decisions.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), a diagnostic test that uses ultrasound from a probe passed into the esophagus to image the heart and major vessels.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could support adding critical care TEE to intensive care training in Hong Kong and similar regions, improving diagnosis and management of heart and lung failure in the ICU.
- What could go wrong
- The study is small and early, and TEE carries risks such as bleeding or injury to the esophagus. Results may not apply to all ICU settings.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Started
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Sep 2025
- Finished
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Jul 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients who suffer from cardiopulmonary failure requiring intubation and invasive mechanical ventilation, who benefit from detailed hemodynamic assessment by transesophageal echocardiography.
- Ages
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18 to 100 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age ≧ 18; AND * Admitted to the mixed medical-surgical intensive care units of Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong; AND * Intubated for invasive mechanical ventilation; AND * Clinically indicated for transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) Exclusion Criteria: Patient possessing absolute contraindication(s) to TEE examination according to the ASE guideline 2013: * Perforated viscus * Esophageal stricture * Esophageal tumor * Esophageal perforation * Esophageal laceration * Esophageal diverticulum * Active upper gastrointestinal bleed
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.