Study to Find Simple Body Landmarks for Correct Placement of Esophageal Probes Using Transesophageal Echocardiography in Adult ICU Patients

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to find simple external body landmarks that can reliably predict the correct depth for inserting an esophageal probe. Accurate placement in the lower third of the esophagus is important for precise core temperature monitoring. The study focuses on adult ICU patients who need transesophageal echocardiography TEE as part of their clinical care. The Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine is sponsoring this observational study. Participants will undergo clinically needed transesophageal echocardiography, which will be used as the gold standard to confirm correct esophageal probe placement. During the procedure, researchers will measure several external anatomical points to predict insertion depth and compare these predictions with TEE-confirmed probe positions. The study will analyze how well the landmark-based method agrees with the TEE standard. Throughout the study, adult ICU patients will be evaluated during their routine TEE procedure. Researchers will collect anatomical measurements and confirm probe positions to assess accuracy. The main outcome is the agreement between the predicted insertion depth and the actual depth confirmed by TEE. The study will monitor results during the procedure period, supporting better methods for esophageal temperature monitoring in critical care.

ESOTIP-TEE: Defining an Easy Landmark to Guide Correct Esophageal Probe Placement With Transesophageal Echocardiography