Echocardiogram

Brockville General offers echocardiogram, sometimes referred to as an Echo, which is a test that uses sound waves (ultrasound) to take images and videos of your heart to view the heart chambers, heart valves, and blood flow. Sometimes this test is done during exercise to see how the heart functions under physical activity or stress. Some tests require a contrast agent to better visualize the heart.

Brockville General is a scent reduced environment. Please refrain from wearing scented products.   

Location

Our Charles Street main site offers echocardiograms. 

Preparing for your echocardiogram

You won’t usually need to do anything to prepare for this test. 

What to expect during your echocardiogram 

There are several different ways an echocardiogram can be carried out; most people will have what’s known as a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). 

For a TTE, you’ll be asked to remove any clothing covering your upper half before lying down on a bed. You will be offered a hospital gown to cover yourself during the test.

When you’re lying down, several small sticky sensors called electrodes will be attached to your chest. These will be connected to a machine that monitors your heart rhythm during the test.

A lubricating gel will be applied to your chest or directly to the ultrasound probe. You’ll be asked to lie on your left side and the probe will be moved across your chest.

The probe is attached by a cable to a nearby machine that will display and record the images produced.

You won’t hear the sound waves produced by the probe, but you may hear a swishing noise during the scan. This is normal and is just the sound of the blood flow through your heart being picked up by the probe.

The whole procedure will usually take between 30 and 60 minutes, and you’ll normally be able to go home shortly afterwards.