Transthoracic cardiac echo

Zalecane jest, aby Pacjent przedstawił lekarzowi wyniki poprzednich badań echo serca.

No

ECHO examination of the heart is also known as cardiac ultrasound. It is a precise method based on recording blood flow in the heart cavities and blood vessels. The test allows you to assess the anatomical structures of the heart - the thickness of the walls, the size of the heart cavities. It records the movement of the heart muscle, valves, as well as their degree of stenosis or regurgitation, cardiac contractility. Allows to see intracardiac leaks in congenital defects. The parameters illustrate changes in the speed of blood flow within the atria and ventricles of the heart, large blood vessels, such as the aorta, vena cavae, artery, pulmonary veins and coronary vessels. The cardiac echo also helps diagnose the presence of fluid (such as blood) in the pericardial sac. During the examination, the ejection fraction of the heart is also made.
The ECHO examination of the heart is performed in the supine position, on the left side with the chest exposed.
It is a painless examination and is not associated with any risk to the patient. It is performed in patients of all ages, as well as in pregnant women.
Purpose of the examination: evaluation of cardiac circulatory capacity and diagnosis of heart defects

• suspected heart defects,
• hypertension,
• cardiovascular diseases,
• ischemic heart disease,
• myocarditis,
• endocarditis,
• cardiac arrhythmias,
• cardiac muscle hypertrophy,
• Stiffness of the heart chambers (known as cardiomyopathy),
• cardiopulmonary diseases,
• Assessment of contractility in coronary artery disease and other heart diseases.

In patients with a BMI above 35 (obese) and with COPD, a transesophageal cardiac echo is recommended. In obese patients, the thickness of fat tissue and closely positioned ribs prevent a thorough examination of the patient. The same is true for people with emphysema where the large lung volume makes detailed analysis difficult. The diagnostic value of a trans-thoracic examination is then very low, as it is impossible to view, for example, the flows in the heart and all the structures of the heart.