Echocardiogram: Uses, Types, and Procedure Details

An echocardiogram uses high-frequency sound waves to create moving images of your heart and nearby blood vessels. If your Covington interventional cardiologist has requested an echocardiogram, you may have several concerns. Understanding why you need the test and what it entails may help calm some of your anxiety. Read on to learn more about an echocardiogram.

When would I need an echocardiogram?

As mentioned above, an echocardiogram lets your healthcare provider see images of your heart and surrounding blood vessels. Therefore, your cardiologist may use this test to diagnose or monitor certain heart conditions. An echocardiogram analyzes how blood flows through the vessels and assesses the pumping chambers of your heart.

Using an echocardiogram, your specialist can detect damage from a heart attack due to a block in blood supply. The test also shows heart failure, where your heart does not pump enough blood at the right pressure. An echocardiogram also detects birth defects or congenital heart disease. Other problems that an echocardiogram can detect include cardiomyopathy, problems with the heart valves, and endocarditis. The test also helps your cardiologist decide the best treatment for these heart conditions.

How is an echocardiogram performed?

There are several ways to perform an echocardiogram, depending on the test your specialist requests. Most people will have a transthoracic echocardiogram, which usually doesn’t require any preparation. You will remove any clothing covering your upper half during a transthoracic echocardiogram. You may change into a hospital gown and lie on a bed, where your specialist attaches electrodes to your chest. These small sticky sensors will be connected to a machine that monitors your heart rhythm during the test. Your provider will apply a lubricating gel on your chest or to the ultrasound probe, and you will lie on your left side as your specialist moves the probe across the chest.

As your specialist moves the probe across your chest, images of your heart display in a nearby machine. You may hear a swishing noise during the test; it is the sound of blood flowing through your heart that the probe picks. An echocardiogram takes between 15 and 60 minutes, after which you can go home shortly afterward.

Other types of echocardiogram

Besides a transthoracic echocardiogram, there are other types of echocardiogram; they include

Transoesophageal echocardiogram

Before the test, your provider will recommend that you avoid eating for several hours and take any prescribed medications with a sip of water. The test involves passing a small probe down your throat into your gullet and stomach. A transoesophageal echocardiogram may be uncomfortable, and your throat may feel sore afterward.

A stress echocardiogram

Your cardiologist may recommend this test if your heart problem is triggered by physical activity. The test is carried out during or immediately after a period of exercise on a stationary bike or treadmill. If you can’t exercise, you will receive an injection of medication that makes your heart work harder.

A contrast echocardiogram

During this test, your specialist injects contrast dye into your bloodstream before the test to show the structures in the heart in more detail. Your cardiologist may recommend this test when standard echocardiogram images are not of good quality to see heart details.

Contact Louisiana Heart and Vascular to discuss with your heart specialist the echocardiogram test that is appropriate for you.