Your heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout your body and fueling your muscles, organs, and tissues with oxygen. Comprised of muscle tissue with four chambers and valves, your heart also relies on its internal electrical system and a complex system of blood vessels. Problems with any part of your heart could put your life at risk.
“Heart disease” is a broad term used to describe a variety of different diseases that affect your heart, and it's the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States. Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease, but it’s not the only heart problem that poses health risks.
Your heart health is at the center of your overall well-being. At NJ Cardiovascular Institute, Kunal Patel, MD, and our cardiac specialists are proud to offer the latest in diagnostic technology and heart care to keep you enjoying life for years to come.
Of all the diagnostic tools available to doctors, the echocardiogram is a popular and effective test to evaluate heart health. It’s completely noninvasive, and it gives us an inside look at how well your heart functions so we can recommend the right care for you.
An echocardiogram uses ultrasound to create images of your heart. The test is noninvasive and painless, and it’s an essential diagnostic tool in heart care.
Dr. Patel may recommend an echocardiogram if he suspects you could have a heart problem. An echocardiogram allows us to evaluate the size and structure of your heart, and when paired with Doppler ultrasound, shows more information about how blood flows through your heart.
An echocardiogram can be used to help diagnose problems with valves or chambers, and to uncover the cause behind symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath. It can also detect congenital heart defects.
At NJ Cardiovascular Institute, we perform echocardiograms in the comfort of our office. In most cases, there’s nothing special you need to do to prepare for your test.
An echocardiogram takes about 40 minutes from start to finish. You remove your shirt and lie down on the exam table, where our team prepares you for the test by attaching electrodes to your chest.
We apply a gel to your chest and guide the ultrasound wand over your skin. The ultrasound technology sends sound waves into your chest that bounce off your internal organs and generate images of your heart in motion, sending them to a computer monitor. Our team views the images and uses our findings to create a treatment plan that’s right for you.
Depending on the results of your diagnostic testing, our team works with you to create a heart care plan that meets your needs. If you have a heart problem, we may suggest enrolling in our Heart Smart Program, which is a comprehensive heart care program including medication management and lifestyle changes.
Once you start treatment for your heart condition, expect to have echocardiograms at regular intervals. There are no risks to standard echocardiogram testing, making it a great addition to your heart care plan.
Getting echocardiograms as part of your routine care gives us the ability to monitor your cardiac health and identify any changes. We may also use echocardiogram testing to evaluate how well your cardiac treatment is working. Seeing how your heart responds to treatment allows us to adjust your plan as necessary to help you achieve your best possible health.
We provide comprehensive, ongoing heart care at NJ Cardiovascular Institute. To learn more about what you can do to keep your heart healthy, schedule a consultation with our team. We have three offices in Secaucus, Paramus, and Newark, New Jersey. Call the office nearest you, send us a message, or book your visit online now.
