Echocardiography

How long do I have to be on the treadmill?

Echocardiography (also called an echo test) is a test that takes “moving pictures of the heart with sound waves”. You don’t have to stay in the hospital; it is not surgery and does not hurt. This test is done to help your doctor find out if you have problems with your heart or with how it’s working

Echocardiography is needed if:

You have a heart murmur
You have had a heart attack
You have unexplained chest pains
You have had rheumatic fever
You have a congenital heart defect

How is it done?

You’ll lie on a bed on your side or back
A technician will put special jelly on a probe and move it over your chest area
Ultra-high-frequency sound waves will pick up images of your heart and valves. No x-rays will be used
Your heart movements can be seen on a video screen
A video tape or a photograph can be made of the pictures
You can watch during the test
It usually takes less than 15-20 minutes
It’s painless and has no side effects
Your doctor will talk to you about the results

What will the test show?

The size and shape of your heart
How well your heart is working overall
If a wall or section of heart muscle is weak and not working correctly
If you have problems with your heart valves
If you have a blood clot

How do I walk on a treadmill?

There really is no special way to walk on a treadmill. We just ask that you walk the way you normally do. If you do have some difficulty a CVT a PA will help you.