Cardiac testing
Echocardiogram Ultrasound imaging of the heart
Appointment
45 minutes to 1 hour
Preparation
None required
Performed by
A cardiac sonographer
What an echocardiogram is
An echocardiogram is a non-invasive ultrasound that creates detailed images of your heart. It helps assess heart structure, function, and valve health.
It is the same kind of ultrasound used to look at a baby during pregnancy, pointed at the heart instead. A small handheld probe is moved across your chest with a little gel, and the echoes it picks up are turned into moving pictures of the heart as it beats.
Nothing enters the body. There is no radiation, no needle and no dye.
It is often confused with an ECG, which is a different test entirely: an ECG records the heart’s electrical rhythm, while an echocardiogram shows its structure and how it is moving.
Why your doctor ordered one
An echocardiogram answers questions that a stethoscope and a rhythm recording cannot: how strongly the heart is pumping, whether the valves are opening and closing properly, and whether the muscle itself has changed.
- Pumping strength. Heart failure is measured by ejection fraction, and an echocardiogram is how that number is obtained.
- Valve function. Aortic stenosis is graded by echocardiogram and then tracked with repeat studies over time.
- The structure behind a rhythm problem. In atrial fibrillation, an echocardiogram looks at the heart itself alongside the rhythm recording.
It is just as often ordered to follow something already known as to find something new.
How to prepare
No special preparation is required.
- Eat normally before your appointment.
- Take your medications as usual.
- Wear comfortable two-piece clothing.
- Bring a current list of your medications.
There is nothing to fast for and nothing to stop taking unless your own doctor has told you otherwise.
What happens on the day
The scan is performed by a cardiac sonographer and takes 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Please allow up to 1 hour for your visit. You will be asked to undress to the waist and lie on your left side on an examination bed. Gel is applied to the chest so the probe makes proper contact, and the room is usually dimmed so the screen is easier to read.
You may be asked to hold your breath briefly, or to roll slightly. That is normal.
What happens to the images
Every study performed here is reviewed by a cardiologist.
The results are followed up by a telephone consultation with the cardiology team, so you do not need to travel back to the clinic to hear them.
- Reviewed by a cardiologist, in the same clinic that performed the scan.
- Followed up with you by telephone.
- Reported to the doctor who referred you within 1 to 10 days.
Getting a referral
Ask your family doctor for a referral
You need a referral from a family physician or nurse practitioner.
Horizons Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics sees adult patients aged 18 and over.
Referring providers: referral forms and our current wait times are available on our referrals page.