Echocardiogram

Cardiac Ultrasound

Because an echocardiogram is an ultrasound of your heart, it gives your cardiologist moving pictures of your heart health: its size, structure, and ability to pump your blood.

As part of our diagnostic heart services, Bassett Healthcare Network cardiology specialists use echocardiograms to diagnose a range of heart conditions, including heart failure, heart valve disease, heart defects, heart attacks, and blood clots.

Heart Echo Test

An echocardiogram procedure may be needed if:

• You have heart-related symptoms, including chest pain, shortness of breath, swollen ankles or feet, fainting or dizzy spells, or unexplained fatigue
• Your primary care practitioner heard abnormal heart sounds, such as a heart murmur, during a regular exam through a stethoscope
• Your heart health is being monitored because you’ve had heart surgery, a stroke, a heart attack, coronary artery disease, an arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, or other heart condition

During the Echocardiogram

A cardiac ultrasound, which takes about an hour, is painless and carries no risks or complications. 

During your heart ultrasound, you will lie on your back or left side while a technician gently rolls a device, called a transducer, over your chest. The transducer records sound waves that create an image of your heart on a monitor. 

Results of the Echocardiogram

Cardiologists at Bassett Healthcare Network use the results of a heart echo to help diagnose the following heart conditions:

• Abnormal heart structure, possibly a congenital heart defect
• Heart valve problems, such as leaks or narrowing of the valves
• Blood clots in or around the heart that could cause a stroke
• Damaged or weak heart muscle, often the result of a heart attack or narrowing of the coronary arteries
• Enlarged heart, or thickening of the heart tissue connected to heart valve disease, high blood pressure, heart failure, and heart defects

Schedule an Appointment

If you have symptoms of a heart condition, or are monitoring your heart health, you may need a cardiac ultrasound. Call our cardiology team at (607) 547-3180 to schedule an appointment.

Bassett Healthcare Network offers echocardiograms in Central New York, including Cooperstown, Oneonta, Cobleskill, Little Falls, and beyond.