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How long does an echocardiogram take?
How long does the test take? The appointment will take about 40 minutes. After the test, you may get dressed and go home or go to your other scheduled appointments.
How serious is an echocardiogram?
A standard echocardiogram is painless, safe, and does not expose you to radiation. If the test doesn’t show enough images of your heart, though, your doctor might order another procedure, called a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE).
Are echocardiogram results immediate?
If your test was ordered by a cardiologist who can read his or her own echo test results, the doctor should be able to figure out pretty quickly if there’s anything abnormal going on with your heart. If it’s been ordered by a non-cardiologist, he or she should get the official results report within a day.
Are you put to sleep for an echocardiogram?
Patients are sedated during this procedure, which uses a special ultrasound wand that is inserted down the throat and into the esophagus, right behind the heart. There’s also something called an exercise stress echocardiogram that’s used to detect problems with the arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle.
What do you wear during an echocardiogram?
Therefore, to have an echocardiogram, you need to take your clothes off from the waist up – including any bra. You will be offered a gown to wear instead. This gown is worn like a cape, opening at the front. During the scan you will be asked to lie on a special couch which has the head tilted up.
What does an echocardiogram tell the Doctor?
An echocardiogram (echo) provides a large amount of information about the heart to the doctor. It tells him or her many things, including the size of the heart, the function, how thick the walls of the heart are, how the valves are working, if the valves appear normal or thickened and if there is any fluid around the heart.
What you can expect during an echocardiogram?
You lie on a table and a technician places small metal disks (electrodes) on your chest.
What can I expect during an echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram exam usually includes a Doppler recording of the blood movement or flow within the heart. When color flow Doppler is used in the exam, it will appear as different colors moving within the white and black images on the monitor. The different colors represent the different speeds and directions of blood flow in the heart.
What to expect from an echocardiogram?
What to Expect From an Echocardiogram. Doctors use ultrasound to detect a baby’s first heartbeat, but it can also detect heart problems. An echocardiogram ( ECG , EKG, or “echo” for short) uses ultrasound (high-frequency sound waves) to map the structure and functioning of the heart, and to uncover defects in the heart valves and chambers.