ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

The echocardiography test is necessary for those patients, who experience symptoms such as irregular heart rhythm, increased blood pressure, as well as other indications, for instance, chest pain, shortness of breath, which indicate the probability of heart diseases. The same applies to all patients who have undergone heart surgery (planned follow-up).

This type of procedure is suggested for those patients who have been diagnosed with an innate or obtained heart disease, diabetes, or for patients who are subjected to chemotherapy examinations or surgery on other organs.

During the procedure, the patient has to lie down on the back or left side. On the patient’s chest, above the heart, the medical staff places electrodes in different directions. They are connected with an electrocardiograph, that graphically displays the patient’s heart rate. 

To improve the accuracy of the images obtained during the examination, the doctor may ask the patient to hold his breath for a while. The duration of the echocardiographic examination can be up to 40 minutes.

Echocardiography is a gentle and non-invasive diagnostics method that helps to obtain accurate information about the health of the patient’s heart, as well as to timely diagnose heart diseases that can lead to unwanted health complications in the future.

Healthy people should also have an echocardiography at least once in their lifetime to rule out a congenital heart condition or heart pathology without complaints.