This information is provided for educational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for consultation or specific instructions given by your doctor regarding this procedure.
Always consult your doctor for diagnostic and treatment options for your specific medical condition.
Over the next few minutes, we’ll be sharing information to help you prepare for an echocardiogram. We’ll also provide information about what to expect both during and after the procedure.
An echocardiogram, or “echo”, is an ultrasound-based test that shows the heart’s mechanical function. The heart’s muscular wall and valves can be evaluated with an echo.
This is how an echocardiogram works: A transducer sending out high-frequency sound waves is placed on the chest over the heart. Sound waves from the transducer move through the body and bounce off the heart like an echo. The transducer then picks up the reflected sound waves, which are converted into images of the heart.
Echo can be used to evaluate, diagnose, and guide treatment for problems of the heart. An echocardiogram can play an important role in helping your doctor determine how this vital organ is working.
Now let's consider the structure and function of the heart. It's about the size of a fist and lies just under the left breast.
The heart is a hard working muscle, pumping blood through over 60,000 miles of blood vessels at an average of 80 times per minute.
It’s divided into right and left sides and has two upper chambers, called the atria, and two lower chambers, called the ventricles.
Each of the four chambers is like a tiny room, with a valve that acts as a door to control the flow of blood.
An echo shows the size of the heart’s chambers and walls. For instance, the muscle wall of the right ventricle is thinner than the left ventricle. The right ventricle pumps blood into the lungs, a low pressure system, while the left ventricle pumps blood to the rest of the body, a high pressure system.
The size and movement of each ventricle is also examined during an echo. This is important because when part of the heart muscle is damaged, as with a heart attack, it causes the healthier areas to work harder to accommodate for the damaged tissue.
This extra work can increase the heart muscle's size. Most muscles become stronger as they get bigger; this is not so for the heart. An enlarged heart may actually lose some of its strength.
Coordination and timing of the functions within the heart are also checked during an echo. With each contraction, blood is squeezed out of the chambers. Each chamber then relaxes to refill with blood. As this occurs, the valves open and close to regulate the direction of blood flow. Each valve is designed to allow the forward flow of blood and prevent backward flow.
Symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, and swelling in the abdomen or legs may be warning signs of heart disease. Your doctor may suggest an echocardiogram to evaluate the heart if you have any of these symptoms. However, some individuals who need an echo may be symptom free. When no symptoms are present, the echo can help with early diagnosis of heart conditions.
Some problems that may be evaluated by an echo include heart failure, coronary artery disease, or hardening of the arteries, congenital heart defects, high blood pressure, and valvular heart disease.
With valvular heart disease, the valve flaps may become too narrow or too wide, not closing or opening properly. This may result in blood flowing in the wrong direction or in difficulty pumping blood forward. An echo can help your doctor visualize specific actions within the heart such as valves that don’t open or close properly.
Now that you have a description of what an echo is and an idea of why it’s done, let’s look more closely at the procedure for an echo.
Risk and benefits must always be considered with any medical procedure. With an echo there’s no radiation exposure, so it’s a very low risk procedure with important diagnostic benefits.
For a basic echo, no prep, such as fasting or sedation is required. Sometimes your doctor may ask you to skip certain medications before an echo because of the medication’s effect on your heart. Be sure to provide a complete list of medications and supplements you take.
An echo is a simple procedure. You’ll change into a hospital gown and lie on a procedure table on your left side. The technician will place electrodes for an electrocardiogram, or E-C-G, on your chest. Once you’re ready, the technician will apply a clear gel to a transducer and then press it against your chest in different locations.
Sometimes it’s possible to hear the heart once the technician has located it. Moving slightly may be necessary from time to time to help get a better picture of the heart, but you’ll need to lie still for the most part.
There’s no special care required after an echo. Your doctor may suggest changes in your treatment or additional tests afterwards, depending on your situation. Be sure to ask when to re-start any medications that you stopped for the test.
Learning more about your health is important, and taking action right away, if symptoms begin, can improve your health and well being. An echo is a valuable diagnostic test that shows how the heart is working on the inside. An echo can provide life-saving information even when there are no noticeable symptoms.