A heart medical supply company offers a variety of important diagnostic equipment to health care facilities. One such piece of equipment is the echocardiogram machine. Here are some things to consider before scheduling your echocardiogram at your cardiologist’s office.
Safe and Painless
An echocardiogram is a safe and painless diagnostic test. Unlike traditional x-rays, the echocardiogram machine does not utilize ionizing radiation to take pictures. Instead, safe soundwaves are used to capture images of your cardiovascular system in real-time. Before your test, the echocardiogram technician will apply a special gel to the area to be tested. This gel is known as transducer gel and it helps enhance the quality of the images.
Your cardiologist may recommend that you avoid taking certain heart medications on the day you are scheduled for your echocardiogram because doing so may skew your results. If, however, you take cardiac medications to treat chest pain, you may be advised to take it.
Uses
An echocardiogram can help your cardiologist diagnose a number of cardiovascular conditions. For example, it can help detect problems with your heart valves and it can also detect fluid around your heart.
While most physicians do not order echocardiogram tests in asymptomatic patients, your doctor may recommend that you undergo a heart ultrasound if the results of your other cardiac tests are abnormal. These tests include stress tests and electrocardiograms, or EKGs. Once your physician has the results of all of your heart tests, an effective treatment plan can then be implemented.
