Echocardiography

General

Core DX Study

Synonym/Acronym:
Doppler echo, Doppler ultrasound of the heart, echo, sonogram of the heart, transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE).

Rationale
To assist in diagnosing cardiovascular disorders such as defect, heart failure, tumor, infection, and bleeding.

This Core Diagnostic Study is noninvasive and produces images that show how blood flows through vessels, valves, and chambers of the heart. This test may be requested if the patient is experiencing symptoms that may include abnormal blood pressure, arrhythmia, chest pain, leg swelling, or shortness of breath.

Patient Preparation
There are no food, fluid, activity, or medication restrictions unless by medical direction.

Normal Findings

• Normal appearance in the size, position, structure, and movements of the heart valves visualized and recorded in a combination of ultrasound modes, and normal heart muscle walls of both ventricles and left atrium, with adequate blood filling. Established values for the measurement of heart activities obtained by the study may vary by health-care provider (HCP) and institution.

Critical Findings and Potential Interventions

• Aortic aneurysm
• Infection
• Obstruction
• Tumor with significant mass effect (rare)

Timely notification to the requesting HCP of any critical findings and related symptoms is a role expectation of the professional nurse. A listing of these findings varies among facilities.