An echocardiogram allows your doctor to examine the structure of your heart such as your heart walls, chambers and arteries in order to see how it functions.
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What is it for?
Examine the speed at which blood is pumped through your heart
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Treatment overview
At The London Clinic, our highly trained team of cardiologists and technicians perform echocardiograms to diagnose problems with your heart.
There are several reasons why your doctor may recommend that you have an echocardiogram:
- If your doctor suspects there is a problem with your heart structure that is affecting its ability to pump.
- To look for damage in your heart valves, chambers or arteries.
- To check for heart defects in your new-born or unborn baby.
- If you’ve had a heart attack or heart failure, and your doctor wants to check how your heart has recovered.
FAQs
An echocardiogram is a type of ultrasound examination where sound waves are used to produce a moving image of your heart.
Besides the standard test described above, there are also several other types of echocardiogram:
- Transoesophageal echocardiogram (TOE): this test produces images of your heart from a probe inside your oesophagus, which means that your lungs and ribcage don’t obstruct the image.
- For this procedure, you may be given a local anaesthetic and then be asked to swallow a small probe attached to a flexible tube. This test is done as a day case so you can have your investigation and then go home the same day.
- A stress echocardiogram: this is carried out when your heart is under stress, such as when you’ve been exercising on a treadmill or stationary bike. If you can’t exercise, you may be given medicine to stimulate stress on your heart. This test can help to diagnose coronary heart disease.
- Doppler echocardiogram: this test measures how fast the blood flows through your heart and how well your heart valves are functioning. This is done by measuring the change in pitch when the sound waves bounce off the blood moving through your heart and blood vessels.
An echocardiogram can be performed both as an outpatient procedure, or if you’re already in hospital for another procedure such as heart surgery.The test won’t hurt and you will just feel the gentle pressure of an ultrasound probe on the chest wall. It takes around 40 minutes to do a detailed ultrasound study of the structure of the heart.To begin, your doctor will apply a clear gel to the skin on your chest. He will then run an ultrasound probe over your chest, which produces high frequency sound waves.These sound waves will pass into your body and bounce off the surface of your heart and back into the probe.These waves are then compiled into a moving image of your heart which is projected onto a computer screen.
If your doctor finds no problem with your heart from the echocardiogram, you won’t need any further tests. If they find a problem during the test, they may refer you to a heart specialist for more tests.You may need to have another echocardiogram in a few months, or other CT tests to properly diagnose a heart condition.
We offer Fixed Price Packages
Where possible, we’ll provide a fixed-price package for your hospital care. This covers your hospital stay, nursing, and use of our facilities, giving you a clear guide to what those costs will be.
- Pre-op assessment
- Hospital stay, nursing care and meals
- Tests, scans and physio during your stay
- Take-home medication (up to 5 days)
- Post-op follow-up appointments
- Standard equipment or prosthesis (if needed)
- Unplanned extended stay or ITU (if clinically required)
- Initial consultation and any tests done during it
- Consultant and anaesthetist fees (quoted separately)
- Physio or therapy before or after your stay
- Diagnostics before admission (unless agreed in your plan)
- Specialist medication beyond 5 days
- Ambulance transport or bespoke prosthetics
Your consultant’s fees are quoted separately and shared directly by their office after your consultation. These professional fees cover the time, expertise, and care provided by your consultant before, during, and after your treatment. See our full terms and conditions
Why choose The London Clinic?
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0% Finance Options
We’ve teamed up with Chrysalis to offer you funding options that allow you to spread the cost of your treatment.
If you choose to pay for your treatment at The London Clinic over 12 months, you can make use of a great 0% interest option and pay nothing extra. Or you can choose to pay over two to five years at 14.9% APR.
Trustees of the London Clinic Ltd trading as The London Clinic is an Appointed Representative of Chrysalis Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The London Clinic is a credit broker, not a lender. The provider of a payment scheme which is not offered through or by Chrysalis Finance Limited may not be so authorised and regulated. Cancer treatments or transplants aren’t covered by finance packages. Finance options are only available for UK patients.