Heart Screening - Echocardiogram Questions

Heart disease is a broad term used to describe a range of diseases that affect your heart, and in some cases, your blood vessels. The various diseases that fall under the umbrella of heart disease include diseases of your blood vessels, such as coronary artery disease; heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias); and heart defects you're born with (congenital heart defects).
The term "heart disease" is often used interchangeably with "cardiovascular disease" — a term that generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. Other heart conditions, such as infections and conditions that affect your heart's muscle, valves or beating rhythm also are considered forms of heart disease.

We offer comprehensive echocardiograms (“echos”) that are able to look inside the heart. An echocardiogram uses sound waves to produce images of your heart. This common test allows us to see how your heart is beating and pumping blood. The images from an echocardiogram are used to identify and  evaluate the size, wall thickness, and movement of heart structures (chambers, valves, etc).  Echocardiography can also assess fluid build-up around the heart, blood clots or tumors within the heart, and active infection of the heart valves.

No. However, an echocardiogram  can determine whether all parts of the heart wall are contributing normally to your heart's pumping activity. Parts that move weakly may have been damaged during a heart attack or be receiving too little oxygen. This may indicate coronary artery disease or various other conditions.

Our echocardiograms  are comprehensive and similar to what you would receive in a hospital or cardiac centre.  The procedure takes approximately 40 minutes to complete.

Your echo will be interpreted by a Board Certified Cardiologist highly trained in echocardiography.

Heart disease is the #1 cause of death among both males and females. Cardiovascular disease (including heart disease and stroke) claims more lives each year than the next 4 leading causes of death combined: cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, accidents, and diabetes.

Yes. There are several established risk factors for heart disease that are controllable. These include smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes. Some risk factors are not controllable, including family history of heart disease, increasing age, and male gender.