We’ve all heard of pregnant mothers using ultrasound to see their baby before it is born. But ultrasound can be used for much more than that. According to Better Health “An ultrasound scan uses high-frequency sound waves to make an image of a person’s internal body structures. Doctors commonly use ultrasound to study a developing fetus (unborn baby), a person’s abdominal and pelvic organs, muscles and tendons, or their heart and blood vessels.”
When ultrasound is used to look at the heart it is called “Echocardiography”.
A How-To Guide to a Career in Echocardiography
Your heart is about the size of a human fist and it’s the hardest working muscle in your body. On average it beats 115,000 times a day pumping 2,000 gallons of blood throughout your body. The heart’s rhythms are controlled by an electrical system called the cardiac conduction system.
But when something goes wrong with your heart Echocardiography is an important tool for Doctors to diagnose the problem.
According to Medical News Today:
During an echocardiogram, a doctor can see:
- the size and thickness of the chambers
- how the valves of the heart are functioning
- the direction of blood flow through the heart
- any blood clots in the heart
- areas of damaged or weak cardiac muscle tissue
- problems affecting the pericardium, which is the fluid filled sac around the heart
Echocardiography 101
Echocardiography is also referred to as cardiac sonography, it refers to the use of sound wave technology to make real time images of the heart.
There are two types of imaging associated with the heart.
The first is known as an echocardiogram (echo), and it lets physicians gain an inside look at the heart’s valves and chambers. Echos prove useful, especially when determining damage from a past heart attack.
The second type of imaging is known as an EKG, and it lets you assess the rhythm, rate, and overall electrical activity going on in a patient’s heart.
Who Benefits from Echocardiography?
A wide variety of patients need echocardiography, including individuals who have experienced heart attacks, strokes, or unexplained chest pain.
They are also used to diagnose people with a history of heart murmurs, congenital heart defects, or even those who have experienced rheumatic fever.
Echocardiography technicians specialize in different types of patients. In other words, there are specific technicians who work with adults, children, and in a fetal setting. Technicians can even earn certifications in these specialized areas.
There are also a wide variety of types of echocardiograms performed. These include:
- Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)
- Stress echocardiogram
- Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE)
- Dopple echocardiogram
Each test deals with particular parts of the body or certain conditions under which the body is placed. For example, the most common type of echocardiogram is the TTE, which creates an image of the chest wall to the heart.
Echo Techs are well paid. According to Salary.com “The average Echocardiograph Technician salary in the United States is $75,178 as of November 25, 2019, but the range typically falls between $67,635 and $83,405. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession.”
How to Become an Echocardiography Technician
If you’re passionate about helping people and have an innate fascination with the human body, then you could make a fantastic echocardiography technician. It all starts with education. Find out more information about sonography and echocardiography training.
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