Figure 1: Three-dimensional heart model shown in cross-section to highlight the position of the TEE plane in the mid-esophageal descending aorta view. A) Posterior view of the heart with TEE plane. B) Anterior view of the heart and TEE plane. The heart is rotated about the long axis ninety degrees in a clockwise direction. The blue dotted line represents the orientation of the pulsed wave cursor and the blue circle indicates the position of the sample box in the proximal portion of the descending aorta. Key: DescAo = Descending aorta.

Figure 2: Spectral doppler data acquired for blood flow through the descending aorta. In the upper right, a two dimensional TEE image of the mid esophageal descending aorta LAX view; the blue circle indicates the location of the sample volume in the proximal portion of the descending aorta. In the lower half of the image, a spectral doppler trace shows the relationship between blood velocity and time. The baseline is orange. Key: S = Systolic wave.

Figure 3: Spectral doppler data acquired for blood flow through the descending aorta. In the upper right, a two dimensional TEE image of the mid esophageal descending aorta LAX view; the blue circle indicates the location of the sample volume in the distal portion of the descending aorta. In the lower half of the image, a spectral doppler trace shows the relationship between blood velocity and time. The baseline is orange. Key: S = Systolic wave.