will be injected into your vein.
For an echocardiogram, the staff will place a small amount of gel on your chest. The gel will help send sound waves inside your body.The staff will use a probe and will move it around your chest. The probe will send sound waves inside your body. The sound waves will help make a picture of your heart.Tell your doctor right away if you have chest pain or trouble breathing.The doctor will take pictures of your heart at rest and under stress and compare the pictures.These tests may take 2 to 4 hours.
What happens after the procedure?
- The staff will continue to monitor your heart rate and blood pressure until they are normal.
- Your doctor will tell you when you can go home after the procedure.
- You may feel jittery or have a headache from the drugs you were given.
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- You may go back to your normal activities.
- You may keep taking your usual drugs after the test. Ask your doctor what drugs you need to take.
- If your doctor gave you a drug to increase your hearts blood flow, the effects will go away after a few hours. Drink lots of water to help flush the drug out. Ask your doctor what side effects you may have.
- You may wash your chest with soap and warm water to remove the material left from the electrodes.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits. Ask your doctor when you will talk about the test results.
- Your doctor will tell you if you need other tests.
- Your doctor may have you see a cardiologist.
What problems could happen?
- Chest pain
- Arm or jaw discomfort
- Fainting
- Heart attack
- Asthma attack
- Unusual heartbeat
- Dizziness
- Cardiac arrest
When do I need to call the doctor?
Activate the emergency medical system right away if you have signs of a heart attack. Call 911 in the United States or Canada. The sooner treatment begins, the better your chances for recovery. Call for emergency help right away if you have: ‚
- Signs of heart attack:
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy
Where can I learn more?
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute ‚
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/stress/ ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚