Echocardiography is a test that uses sound waves to produce live images of your heart. The image is called an echocardiogram. This test allows your doctor to monitor how your heart and its valves are functioning.
The images can help them get information about:
An echocardiogram is key in determining the health of the heart muscle, especially after a heart attack. It can also reveal heart defects in unborn babies.
Getting an echocardiogram is painless. There are only risks in very rare cases with certain types of echocardiograms or if contrast is used for the echocardiogram.
Your doctor may order an echocardiogram for several reasons. For example, they may have discovered an abnormality from other testing or while listening to your heartbeat through a stethoscope.
If you have an irregular heartbeat, your doctor may want to inspect the heart valves or chambers or check your heart’s ability to pump. They may also order one if you’re showing signs of heart problems, such as chest pain or shortness of breath.
A stress echocardiography, also called an echocardiography stress test or stress echo, is a procedure that determines how well your heart and blood vessels are working.
During a stress echocardiography, you’ll exercise on a treadmill or stationary bike while your doctor monitors your blood pressure and heart rhythm.
When your heart rate reaches peak levels, your doctor will take ultrasound images of your heart to determine whether your heart muscles are getting enough blood and oxygen while you exercise.
Your doctor may order a stress echocardiography test if you have chest pain that they think is due to coronary artery disease or a myocardial infarction, which is a heart attack. This test also determines how much exercise you can safely tolerate if you’re in cardiac rehabilitation.
The test can also tell your doctor how well treatments such as bypass grafting, angioplasty, and anti-anginal or antiarrhythmic medications are working.
This test is safe and noninvasive. Complications are rare, but can include:
This test usually occurs in an echocardiography laboratory, or echo lab, but it can also occur in your doctor’s office or other medical setting. It normally takes between 45 and 60 minutes.
Before you take the test, you should do the following:
Your doctor needs to see how your heart functions while you’re at rest to get an accurate idea of how it’s working. Your doctor begins by placing 10 small, sticky patches called electrodes on your chest. The electrodes connect to an electrocardiograph (ECG).
The ECG measures your heart’s electrical activity, especially the rate and regularity of your heartbeats. You’ll likely have your blood pressure taken throughout the test as well.
Next, you’ll lie on your side, and your doctor will do a resting echocardiogram, or ultrasound, of your heart. They’ll apply a special gel to your skin and then use a device called a transducer.
This device emits sound waves to create images of your heart’s movement and internal structures.
After the resting echocardiogram, your doctor next has you exercise on a treadmill or stationary bicycle. Depending on your physical condition, your doctor may ask you to increase the intensity of your exercise.
You’ll probably need to exercise for 6 to 10 minutes, or until you feel tired, to raise your heart rate as much as possible.
Tell your doctor right away if you feel dizzy or weak, or if you have chest pain or pain on your left side.
As soon as your doctor tells you to stop exercising, they perform another ultrasound. This is to take more images of your heart working under stress. You then have time to cool down. You can walk around slowly so that your heart rate can return to normal. Your doctor monitors your ECG, heart rate, and blood pressure until the levels return to normal.