What Is Involved With Having an Echocardiogram?

Doctors use many ways to get information on what is going on inside of a patient's body. An echocardiogram is one way. This quick and painless procedure can provide valuable information on a patient's heart.

Purpose

• An echocardiogram evaluates how the different parts of the heart are working and gives doctors information about the structure of the heart, the heart valves and blood flow.

  A doctor may perform an echocardiogram as part of a routine checkup to see how a patient's heart is functioning. If major symptoms such as chest pains or heart palpitations are present, echocardiogram results can help explain them. Even milder symptoms such as fatigue or restlessness can signal heart trouble; and an echocardiogram can reveal heart disease or heart valve disease and whether heart treatments are working properly.

Preparation

• On the day of the test, patients should conduct themselves normally---eat and/or take medication as they would any other day. When going in for an echocardiogram, a patient should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes. He will have to undress from the waist up and the rest of his clothes should allow him to lie down comfortably.

Procedure

• The procedure should take between 45 minutes and an hour. A sonographer will administer the echocardiogram. Once a patient undresses and puts on a gown, the sonographer will place two electrode pads and a ultrasound gel on the patient's chest. For most echocardiograms, the sonographer will use a wand called a transducer that will use ultrasound to take pictures of your heart.

  If the images are not clear enough, the sonographer may use an injectable dye that will make your heart show up more clearly on the echocardiogram. This is called a transthoracic echocardiogram, and it will be much like a sonogram done on a pregnant woman to examine the fetus.

Other Types

• For different cases, a doctor may use alternate types of echocardiograms. In a transesophageal echocardiogram, the transducer is placed down the patient's esophagus to get closer to the heart. This type of echocardiogram also eliminates any distortion caused by the lungs or chest.

  To conduct a stress echocardiogram, the patient goes through the exam while running or riding a bike. This allows doctors to examine the heart's function in stressful situations. A variation on the stress echocardiogram is the dobutamine or adenosine/sestamibi stress echocardiogram. In this version, patients receive a stimulant that increases the heart rate as if the patient is exercising.

  An intravascular ultrasound examines the heart from the inside. The transducer is placed right next to the heart by sending it through the body via a catheter.

After the Test

• A doctor will discuss any findings with the patient during and immediately following the test. If any follow-up visits or medication is required, the doctor will prescribe them at that time. Afterward, the patient will be able to return to normal activity immediately. He should continue to eat, drink and take any medication as he normally would. If a patient experiences any reaction to the gel or electrode pads, he should contact his doctor's office.