![]() Heart & Stroke Conditions A-Z – see our range of guides. Heart defects – problems with the chambers of the heart, abnormal connections between the chambers or the major blood vessels, and birth defects can be identified. Weakened or damaged valves – the valves don’t open wide enough to allow adequate blood flow through or they don’t close fully allowing blood to leak back. This is called the ejection fraction.ĭamaged heart muscle – damage caused by a heart attack may be seen where isolated parts of the muscle wall move weakly or poorly. Heart function – pumping strength of the heart muscle can be measured as a percentage of blood pumped out of the heart with each heartbeat. Heart size – an enlarged heart or thickened walls of the heart can result from heart problems including damaged valves, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation. ![]() Often, the images are reviewed by the cardiologist at a later time and the report will be forwarded to your referring doctor with any recommendations of treatment if indicated. Treatment depends on what the findings of the exam suggest and what your specific signs and symptoms are. Depending on why you were having the test you may need to have it repeated in several months or on an annual basis. ![]() If the echo is normal, you may not need any further tests. Once the test is complete you can usually resume your normal activities. Your oxygen level will be monitored during the exam to check for any breathing problems caused by sedation medication. Once in place the probe can be positioned to obtain detailed images of your heart and heart valves. A flexible tube containing a transducer probe is then passed down your throat into your oesophagus. The whole procedure may last up to 25 minutes and has no side effects.įor a trans-oesophageal echo your throat will be numbed with a numbing spray or gel first and you may be given medicine to help you relax. The technician will record the images of your heart. This is the ultrasound recording the blood flowing through your heart. You may hear a pulsing ‘whooshing sound’. The sound waves create images of your heart which you may be able to see on the monitor. Many different views of your heart will be taken to give a better idea of what the heart looks like. Be sure to tell the operator if it is uncomfortable. Sometimes the images are difficult to get and the probe needs to be moved around so there may be some discomfort to the chest wall. A technician or your doctor will put a special jelly on to a probe which is then placed on your chest and moved around until a good quality image of your heart is recorded. The standard trans-thoracic echo involves you lying on your back or side. Rarely, the tube may scrape the inside of your throat leaving it sore a little longer. If a trans-oesophageal echo is done, your throat may be sore for a few hours afterward. You may feel some discomfort on your chest wall as the probe is moved around on your chest to get the best pictures. There are no risks involved in a standard trans-thoracic echocardiogram. Your doctor may suggest doing this test if he or she suspects problems with the heart valves or you have symptoms of shortness of breath or chest pain. It can ‘see’ how well the heart is pumping, whether the heart valves are opening and closing normally, determine if there is any clot in your heart, detect infection on your valves or fluid surrounding your heart and signs of heart failure. This common test is done to look at the size and functioning of your heart. Trans-oesophageal echo (TOE): a smaller probe is passed down into your oesophagus allowing detailed pictures of the heart’s structures to be seen because your oesophagus is right behind the heart. Trans-thoracic echo (TTE): a doppler probe device is moved over your chest creating sound wave pictures of your heart through your chest wall It allows your doctor to “see” how your heart muscle is working and how your heart valves are opening and closing. An echocardiogram (echo) is a simple test which uses sound waves (ultrasound) to take a moving picture of your heart.
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