When you suffer discomfort in your chest area, chances are that your primary care physician may be concerned about heart disease. He or she might order an EKG, chest X-ray plus cholesterol tests and blood pressure tests that are standard. If you continue to have symptoms, and the tests reveal any abnormal heart findings, an echocardiography exercise stress test will be ordered. Echocardiography is a noninvasive exercise that serves the purpose of imaging your heart via ultrasound. Ultrasound images your heart chambers and walls, and no radiation technology is used during this process. Your echo physician will be looking to see how your heart is functioning when the technicians are through with this testing.
Prepping For The Test
You're hooked up to an EKG machine and a blood pressure cuff, which synchronize the study. Monitoring of your heart and blood pressure also takes place during this testing. You may wonder why the technician is moving a small ultrasound transducer around your chest. The technician is actually spreading clear gel on your chest to ensure that good contact is achieved from the moving images when created.
More About Echocardiography Testing
You are brought to the stress lab where you undress from your waist up. Two sonographers will be placing electrode pads on your upper body. Those electrode pads record your heart's electrical activity while you are doing the stress exercises. You will be given instructions about how much pedaling you'll need to do, and more images will be recorded by your sonographer during your exercise time.
Pinpointing Results
Results will pinpoint your heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen and blood pressure levels. You'll be required to tell your doctor or nurse whether you are experiencing any unusual feelings in your chest, arms, neck or jaw during the process. Report any heart palpitations or shortness of breath that you may experience during the stress test period. Once the study is completed, you'll be allowed to rest until your heart rate and blood pressure returns to normal measurements.
Profound And Modern Interpretations
One of the most modern interpretations of the analytic processes of Echocardiography is derived from the use of color and Doppler studies that help your cardiologist to more profoundly interpret the study you've just undergone. The testing enables your physician to learn whether your heart is acting normally when stressed. So if any abnormalities come to light, further testing is conducted to determine what is causing the abnormalities.
Contact a clinic, like Alpert Zales & Castro Pediatric Cardiology, for more information.