What Can I Expect During an Echocardiogram?

You’re most likely familiar with ultrasounds. When you think about this kind of imaging, though, your mind probably goes to pregnant women. While ultrasounds are widely used to give expectant mothers and their doctors a look at their unborn babies, that’s not their only application.

Healthcare providers can also use ultrasound technology to examine your heart. Also called an echocardiogram, this kind of imaging can be helpful to check for a range of issues, from clogged arteries and inflammation to heart failure, making it an effective diagnostic tool. 

David Bolon, MD, offers echocardiograms at Manhattan Integrative Cardiovascular in Midtown East, Manhattan, New York City. He might recommend one to figure out what’s causing symptoms you’ve been experiencing, or to evaluate the effectiveness of your current treatment protocol. 

If Dr. Bolon recommends an echocardiogram, you’ll probably want to know what to expect before, during, and after it. Here’s your explainer. 

How the echocardiogram works

During the echocardiogram, Dr. Bolon bounces harmless sound waves into your body. Based on the way those sound waves reflect off the structures of your heart, we can get a picture of how it’s functioning. Your echocardiogram lets us see how your heart contracts and relaxes and how its valves function as blood flows through them. 

We can see all of this in real-time during your echocardiogram, but we also record the imaging. By studying it in detail after your appointment, Dr. Bolon and our team can diagnose conditions, evaluate treatment effectiveness, and make personalized recommendations for you. 

What happens during your echocardiogram

You don’t need to do anything to prepare for your echocardiogram. You won’t need to fast beforehand or otherwise modify your lifestyle. 

The echocardiogram itself usually takes 30-45 minutes. It’s a completely noninvasive and painless process. 

First, we have you change into something that gives us easy access to your chest, like a hospital gown. Then, one of our ultrasound technicians puts electrodes on your chest. These small, sticky discs are wired to an electrocardiogram (EKG) machine so we can track your heart’s electrical activity.

Then, we put a gel on your chest. Just like the gel placed on a pregnant woman’s stomach, this helps the ultrasound waves pass more easily through your skin. 

Next, we move a transducer over your chest to direct the sound waves to your heart. As those waves bounce back (echo), a computer captures them and translates them into the imaging we need. 

There’s no recovery after your echocardiogram. You can even drive yourself to whatever’s next on your itinerary that day. 

After you leave, our team reviews your echocardiogram in detail. Dr. Bolon then uses it to create a personalized treatment recommendation for you.

If you need to schedule this painless, convenient type of heart imaging, we’re here to make it easy. Call our office at (716) 303-4738 or book your appointment online today.