Invasive monitoring is rarely used for children undergoing routine anaesthesia, whereas usual non-invasive haemodynamic measurements such as heart rate and blood pressure monitoring are unable to detect cardiovascular changes rapidly and precisely. In contrast, oesophageal aortic blood flow echo-Doppler is an easy, non-invasive and accurate method to monitor cardiac performance properly and continuously. Therefore, it could represent a useful addition to peri-anaesthetic monitoring techniques, particularly in infants and small children.