There are a variety of serious heart conditions that a person may develop. As part of the treatment process for these conditions, patients may need to undergo a variety of diagnostic procedures. In particular, an echocardiography can be a commonly used diagnostic, but patients often need to learn more about this procedure so that they can be as prepared as possible.
Why Would A Patient Need To Undergo A Echocardiography?
Depending on the type of heart condition that a patient is experiencing, it may be useful for the doctor to learn more about the structure of the patient's heart. This will include the thickness of the heart walls as well as any potential deformities in the heart itself. This information can be particularly useful for patients that will need to undergo surgery as this can help the surgeon.
Will It Be Painful To Undergo An Echocardiography?
Some patients may be concerned about this procedure being painful to undergo. However, it should be noted that most of this procedure will be done with ultrasound. As a result, you will be unlikely to feel anything from these sounds waves. Typically, patients will find that their discomfort will be limited to the pressure of the ultrasound device being pressed into the chest. Also, this device may be somewhat cool, which can be another source of discomfort.
How Long Will Your Echocardiography Take To Complete?
The entire process for one of these evaluations will vary depending on the complexity of the patient's diagnostic needs. In most instances, this entire diagnostic can be completed in around an hour. While this may be long enough to illicit individuals to grow slightly impatient, the information provided about the patient's heart can be invaluable to treating their condition.
Is A Stress Test Always Involved With A Echocardiography?
As part of the diagnostics, individuals will often need to undergo stress testing. This is a type of test that is designed to measure the performance of the heart when it is being stressed. This will typically involve the heart being monitored while the patient engages in mild exercise.
Whenever a patient needs to undergo a diagnostic procedure, they will find that it may be useful to have at least a basic understanding of the procedure they will be undergoing. By understanding the usefulness of an echocardiography, the fact that this procedure will not be painful or particularly long as well as the fact that stress testing is not always necessary, you will be better able to prepare for this procedure. Contact a clinic, like Alpert Zales & Castro Pediatric Cardiology, for more help.
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