When you or a loved one has heart disease, it is important to understand available methods used to help determine your heart’s actual condition, secure your quality of life, and protect yourself from a future heart attack or other debilitating conditions. The Cardiology Department at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital offers a number of minimally invasive methods to detect the extent of your condition.

An echocardiogram, a test that uses ultrasound waves to examine the heart, is a non-invasive examination that is a safe and painless way to help doctors diagnose a number of abnormalities of the heart. By using echocardiograms in conjunction with stress testing, for example, OLBH physicians can see how well your heart functions during exertion by studying what happens during the test.

“The images gained from echocardiograms also can be used to measure the function of the heart and to evaluate the valves of the heart,” David Bush, M.D., OLBH cardiologist, explained. “The test shows the shape and motion of the heart valves. It can reveal if a heart valve is narrowed or leaking and show how severe the problem is. The effectiveness, with which the heart pumps blood, as well as whether the heart is pumping at full strength or is weakened, also can be determined by an echocardiogram.”

During the test, an ultrasound transducer is moved over the chest to obtain different views of the heart. “A thorough exam usually takes from 20 minutes to an hour,” Bush explained. “Ultrasound waves are transmitted into the chest and the reflection of these waves off the various parts of the heart is analyzed by sophisticated equipment to produce computerized images of the heart and its function.”

A major benefit of the echocardiogram is that it gives information about the heart’s structures and blood flow without anything other than sound waves entering the body. The information gained from echocardiograms allows your doctor to make an accurate diagnosis and develop a treatment plan that is best for you.

For more information about echocardiograms in the OLBH Cardiology Department, please speak to your physician. If you do not have a family physician, contact the OLBH CareLine at (606) 833-CARE (2273) for a physician referral.