THE Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenzhen, successfully performed a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), a painless test that uses an ultrasound to create detailed pictures of the heart, in Shenzhen on Friday, the Daily Sunshine reported.

It was the first TEE ever carried out in Shenzhen, or even in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the report said.

TEE is an alternative way to perform an echocardiogram developed in recent years. For the test, the cardiologist inserts a specialized probe containing an ultrasound transducer at its tip into the patient’s esophagus while the patient is under anesthesia.

Compared with a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), which is the most common type of echocardiogram, TEE observes internal cardiac lesions from the rear of the heart and can produce higher quality pictures of the heart and its blood vessels.

It is reported that Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has attached great importance to the application of the new technology in Shenzhen and has arranged for a Beijing-based ultrasound specialist and cardiovascular anesthesiologist to give guidance and participate in its operation.

Jiang Yong, director of the hospital’s ultrasound department, said that the first TEE performed by the hospital not only filled the technical gap of such a medical procedure in Shenzhen but also provided a safe and comfortable medical experience for patients.

The Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences in Beijing has introduced a number of domestic and international leading technologies to the Shenzhen hospital since November 2018.

The Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenzhen, specializes in cardiovascular diseases and was jointly established by the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Shenzhen Municipal Government.  (Zhang Yu)