An echocardiogram is a safe and painless imaging test that uses ultrasound to examine your heart. It’s quick, carried out as an outpatient procedure, and with results often available for analysis straight away.
An echocardiogram gives us a clear picture of your heart’s muscles, valves, and major blood vessels, which helps us to understand how your heart’s working. By assessing the heart’s structure, valves, and blood flow, we can offer timely treatment and personalised care, giving you peace of mind and helping protect your long-term heart health.
There are several types of echocardiography available to our patients:
No, for most types of echocardiogram, the procedure is completely painless. The probe is placed on your chest with a gel, and electrodes record your heartbeat. TOE may require a sedative for comfort, but both are safe and typically well-tolerated by patients.
A standard 2-D or Doppler echocardiogram takes around 20–30 minutes, requires no special preparation, and is performed on an outpatient basis. TOE requires fasting for several hours beforehand and may involve light sedation, but other than these requirements is also performed on an outpatient basis.
We may advise you to have an echocardiogram if we suspect heart valve problems, congenital heart disease, heart failure or cardiomyopathy. It can also be used to monitor existing conditions or assess your progress after treatment. We can use it to detect:
A scan that detects calcium deposits in your arteries, helping us assess your risk of heart disease early.
A procedure that provides detailed imaging of the heart’s blood vessels to guide precise cardiac care.
These tests give us a quick and accurate assessment of your heart’s rhythm and electrical activity.