Results You Can See!

An echocardiogram can be recommended by your cardiologist if you have any of the following conditions:

• Heart attack damage (blockages in blood supply)
• Heart failure ( pump failure)
• Congenital heart disease (defects that develop at birth)
• Heart valve problems (irregular blood flow)
• Cardiomyopathy (thickening of heart walls)
• Endocarditis (infection in the heart’s inner lining)
• Pericardial problems ( effusion- fluid around heart)

 It can detect these problems and the cardiologist can provide you with the right kind of treatment and medication that you require.

A normal echocardiogram test follows these steps:

• You’re asked to lie down and electrodes in the form of sticky sensors are attached to your upper body area.
• A lubricating gel will be applied on your chest or directly on the probe.
• This probe emits ultrasound waves to generate echos. It will hover over your heart area.
• The probe is connected to a monitor that will display images produced by the probe echo detector.

• The whole process can take from 15 to 30 minutes.

Although they have similar names an ECG detects the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity whereas an echocardiogram is used to define the structure of your heart and the blood vessels surrounding it. ECG uses electrical signals and on the contrary, echocardiogram uses echoes of high-frequency ultrasound waves.

The types of echocardiograms found in common use are:

• Transthoracic Echocardiogram(TTE)

Several small sticky sensors called electrodes will be put on your chest. These will be connected to a machine that monitors your heart and a probe will generate images through ultrasound waves.

• Transoesophageal Echocardiogram (TOE)

A small probe is passed down the throat into your food pipe and sometimes further into your stomach. It is recommended that you may need to avoid eating for several hours before this test.

• Stress Echocardiogram

A sub-type of TTE, but carried out during or just after some exercise on a treadmill or exercise bike, or after being given an injection of a medication that increases your heart performance.

• Contrast Echocardiogram

A harmless contrast agent is injected into your bloodstream before carrying out an echocardiogram. This substance helps to create clearer images on the screen because of its high reactivity to sound.

Unlike other diagnostic procedures that make use of radiation to produce results, there are no risks or side effects involved with the use of echocardiograms. It is a non-invasive, simple, painless and safe procedure. However, in a transthoracic echocardiogram, you can expect minor discomfort. You may develop a sore throat, which typically goes away in a few hours. Also in a stress echocardiogram, the risks of heart attacks or other problems during a stress echocardiogram are extremely rare.