Private echocardiogram echo Heart Scan cardiac ultrasound Northern Ireland

What to expect: 

• 40 minute to 1hr appointment 
• 2D ultrasound scan of your heart 
• Visualisation of cardiac activity 
• Follow up report within 3 days 

An echocardiogram also know as ‘echo’ is a scan that uses ultrasound to look at the heart. The procedure is very safe and painless and scanning time usually lasts around 20-30mins.

An echocardiogram is used to assess the structure and function of the heart; pumping action of the heart muscle, the size of the heart chambers, heart muscle thickness and whether the heart valves are working properly. The test cannot see the coronary arteries to assess for any blockages that may cause angina (a symptom of coronary artery disease). 

Echo procedure

You will be asked to undress to the waist, but you will be covered up appropriately. You’ll need to lie on the couch on your left-hand side. We’ll attach stickers to your chest, which will be connected to the machine, and these will monitor your heart rate during the test. The lights in the room will be dimmed to make it easier to see the images of your heart. An ultrasound probe covered by a small amount of gel is placed gently on the centre of your chest and will be moved to different positions throughout the test – beneath the left breast, beneath the rib cage and to the base of your neck. This enables us to see images of your heart from several different angles, which are then recorded. During the echocardiogram you will hear sounds coming from the machine, which represent blood flow through the heart. 

It is preferable to assess blood pressure during scan, this involves a soft cuff wrapped around your upper arm and filled with air until it feels tight. This can feel slightly uncomfortable, but it only lasts a few seconds. Indexing heart measurements to patient’s height and weight is vital to the interpretation of chamber dimensions therefore height and weight would preferably be collected.

After your test

You will usually be able to go home straight after the test. There aren’t any limitations as to what you can do after the scan so you can carry on as normal. heart tests cardiac ultrasound private echocardiogram / echo Portrush