Echocardiography: A Window to Your Heart’s Health

India is developing rapidly. With this rapid development, one more thing is changing rapidly and that is our lifestyle. A hectic schedule, zero exercise, unhealthy eating habits, junk foods & wrong sleeping schedule are impacting our heart health significantly. In a recent study, it has been stated that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become the leading cause of mortality in India. One out of 4 deaths in India is now because of CVDs with ischemic heart disease and stroke responsible for >80% of the deaths in India. So, it is important for everyone to have a regular heart check-up. If you are feeling any sort of breathing or chest pain, consulting a cardiologist is a must. Many times, doctors suggest Echocardiography to detect the underlying issue. Neotia Getwel Multispecialty Hospital has one of the best infrastructures for cardiology. So, if you want to have your echocardiogram test with the hands of the best professionals, you need to connect with Neotia Getwel Multispecialty Hospital. In this blog, we will give you an in-depth idea of Echocardiography and how it helps in heart treatment.

1. What is an Echocardiography or Echocardiogram?

An echocardiogram (echo) is a graphic outline of your heart. In this test, the healthcare provider uses ultrasound (high-frequency sound waves) to take a picture of your heart and how it is working. The healthcare provider places a handheld wand on your chest to do this test. Many times doctors or healthcare providers combine the Doppler ultrasound and color Doppler techniques to evaluate blood flow across your heart’s valves. It is important to mention that radiation is not used in this test while the X-rays and CT scans use small amounts of radiation. The Echocardiogram is also called a Heart ultrasound and heart sonogram as well.
Echocardiography is one of the specialities of Neotia Getwel Multispecialty Hospital. They have a range of professionals to do this.

2. What are the reasons for performing Echocardiography or Echocardiogram?

Echocardiography or Echocardiogram is performed to detect several diseases such as:

a. Atherosclerosis: Atherosclerosis occurs when the arteries become thick & stiff due to the buildup of plaque in the inner lining. Atherosclerosis is basically the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls. It narrows the arteries and leads to chest pain, stroke etc. Many times the plaques also burst into the artery and create blood clots which is also fatal. An echocardiogram is done to detect this issue.

b. Cardiomyopathy: Cardiomyopathy is one of the most fatal heart issues. In this, the heart gets enlarged & it makes it difficult to plump blood which eventually leads to a heart attack. An echocardiogram helps in detecting this.

c. Congenital heart disease: Congenital heart disease is one or more defects which develop in a fetus. These defects can be like ventricular septal defects (holes in the wall between the 2 lower chambers of the heart).

d. Heart failure: Heart failure is a condition where the heart muscle gets stiff or becomes weakened and due to this the blood does not get plumped properly. This heart issue can lead to fluid buildup (congestion) in the blood vessels and lungs, and edema (swelling) in the feet, ankles, and other parts of the body.

e. Aneurysm: Aneurysm is the widening & weakening of the heart muscles or specifically some muscles or the aorta. It increases the risk of the rupture.

f. Heart valve disease: Malfunction of a valve or number of valves can cause a disruption in the blood flow. Many times the blood valves become narrower which reduces the amount of blood. The valves also can become leaky which causes blood flow to leak backwards. An echocardiogram can also check for infection of the heart valve tissue.

g. Cardiac tumour: Cardiac tumour is one of the main diseases which needs to be detected by Echocardiogram. This tumour may occur on the outside of the heart, within one or more chambers of the heart, or within the muscle tissue (myocardium) of the heart.

h. Pericarditis: Pericarditis is basically an inflammation or infection of the sac around the heart.

i. Pericardial effusion or tamponade: Many times the sac around the heart becomes full of fluid, blood or infection and this disease is called pericardial effusion or tamponade. Pericardial effusion or tamponade can compress the heart muscles which prevent them from pumping or beating. Sudden dizziness, lightheaded, or a dangerous drop in blood pressure can be a symptom of pericardial effusion or tamponade.

j. Atrial or septal wall defects: Atrial or septal wall defects can be a congenital heart defect or it can be developed due to any trauma or a heart attack. It is basically irregular channels between the right and left sides of the heart. This defect can be seen in the upper filling chambers (atria) or the lower pumping chambers (ventricles) as well. It can cause poor blood supply and also increase the risk of heart failure or stroke.

3. Is there any risk in this test?

It is a non-invasive test and it has no risk involved with it. At the same time, it is also a painless procedure. However, in many cases, the patient feels some amount of discomfort as the healthcare provider places that wand on the chest. Well, it is very minor. However, it can differ depending on the health condition. So, ask your doctor before the test.

4. What is the best place for having echocardiography?

Neotia Getwel Specialty Hospital is one of the leading hospitals in Kolkata. They have a highly efficient cardiology department. They have special expertise in the tests like echocardiography. Apart from this, Holter Monitoring, Treat Mill Test (TMT) and ECG in non-invasive while in the invasive tests they have expertise in Coronary Angiography, Peripheral Angioplasty, Coronary angioplasty (Primary and complex), peripheral angioplasty, permanent pacemaker implantation, Implantable Cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD implantation) & Device Closure (ASD, VSD, PDA) as well.

5. What are the benefits of echocardiogram?

There are several benefits of this test such as:

a. Unlike many diagnostic processes, echocardiograms do not use any kind of radiation. So, one of the most important benefits is that it is safer for the patients.

b. It is a non-invasive process. So, it is not painful or there is no amount of risk involved with it.

c. Echocardiogram helps in detecting many heart diseases ( Atherosclerosis, Atrial or septal wall defects, Shunts, Cardiomyopathy, Heart valve disease etc.) which can be fatal. This detection helps a doctor to save the patient’s life.

d. Echocardiogram helps in getting real-time data which ensures the accuracy of the treatment.

Final words: Echocardiogram is a non-invasive heart test. It plays the most crucial role in detecting heart health, specifically after a stroke or heart attack. It is totally painless. So, it can be stated that you do not need to worry before this test. You can connect with the emergency department of Neotia Getwel Multispecialty Hospital in case of any heart issues. They have a 24*7 emergency services. Additionally, they have expertise in non-invasive & invasive heart tests.

Disclaimer

Though all attempts are made to provide correct information on the subject, inadvertent & typographical errors arising out of manual intervention cannot be ruled out. It is requested to bring any such discrepancies to the notice of the blogger for correction.