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NCT Number: NCT07209293

Oral Gastric Suctioning Effect on Transesophageal Echo

During heart surgery images of the heart are taken with transesophageal echocardiography. The images track how the heart is doing during surgery. It is normal practice to place an oral gastric tube in the stomach during heart surgery. The oral gastric tube is used to suction out stomach contents to avoid potential aspiration and avoid stomach acid build up. The purpose of this research study is to see if the images of the heart have better quality after your stomach has been emptied. This project hopes to help determine the best method to obtain the better quality images of the heart during cardiac surgery.

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Key information

Conditions

TEE Image Quality

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

About this study

After induction, the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe will be placed in the usual fashion for the cardiac surgery case. Five specific images that are part of a standard TEE exam will be obtained by TEE. An oral gastric (OG) tube will then be placed to suction stomach contents. The OG tube will then be removed and the same five images previously taken will be repeated. The five images reviewed from the TEE include mid esophageal four chamber, mid esophageal two chamber, transgastric basal, transgastric mid-papillary and deep transgastric. Two blinded and independent cardiologists who are echocardiography experts will review the before and after images and grade them for quality of the images. They will grade the images on a scale of 1-4 with 1 being excellent quality and 4 being very poor quality.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Transesophageal echocardiography assisted cardiac surgery

Exclusion criteria

  • hiatal hernia
  • documented or suspected esophageal stricture
  • contraindications to a TEE

Treatment and study plan

Transesophageal Echocardiography

Diagnostic Test

Transesophageal echocardiography images will be taken prior to and post oral gastric suction.

Primary outcomes

  1. Quality of Mid Esophageal Four Chamber Images - Pre Oral Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography mid esophageal four chamber images will be taken prior to oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

  2. Quality of Mid Esophageal Four Chamber Images - Post Oral Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography mid esophageal four chamber images will be taken post oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

  3. Quality of Transgastric Basal Images - Pre Oral Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography transgastric basal images will be taken prior to oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

  4. Quality of Transgastric Basal Images - Post Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography transgastric basal images will be taken post oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

  5. Quality of Transgastric Mid Papillary Images - Pre Oral Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography transgastric mid images will be taken prior to oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

  6. Quality of Transgastric Mid Papillary Images - Post Oral Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography transgastric mid images will be taken post oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

  7. Quality of Mid Esophageal Two-Chamber Images - Pre Oral Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography mid esophageal two-chamber images will be taken prior to oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

  8. Quality of Mid Esophageal Two-Chamber Images - Post Oral Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography mid esophageal two-chamber images will be taken post oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

  9. Quality of Deep Transgastric Images - Pre Oral Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography deep transgastric images will be taken prior to oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

  10. Quality of Deep Transgastric Images - Post Oral Gastric Suction

    Time frame: 60 minutes

    Using transesophageal echocardiography deep transgastric images will be taken post oral gastric suctioning. Quality of images will be graded on a scale of 1-4 (1=excellent quality, 4=very poor quality).

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Lynnette Harris, BSN

CONTACT

[email protected]

336-716-8791

Scott Coleman, DO

CONTACT

[email protected]

336-716-4498

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Orogastric Suctioning on Quality of Transesophageal Echo Images in Cardiac Surgery

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Oct 6, 2025
Registry last updated
Oct 28, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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