Echocardiography, or ultrasound of the heart is a research method that helps to detect the presence of certain structural changes or other abnormalities in the heart that occur with various malformations or diseases.
Often parents ask themselves whether it is worth doing an ultrasound of the heart to the child?
In fact, echocardiography is widely used to diagnose malformations of the heart in children, heart muscle diseases (myocardium), heart valve diseases, large vessels, heart bag, etc.
Ultrasound is an absolutely safe and painless examination method.
Ultrasound is considered a simple and affordable method of examination, which allows you to identify some heart diseases even before the onset of their symptoms. Now there are many clinics where you can make an ultrasound of the heart to your child.
The doctor prescribes an ultrasound scan when there are noises in the heart, suspected diseases that lead to diseases (rheumatism, etc.). The doctor will decide whether to do an ultrasound of the heart of the child, if there is a suspicion of the presence of congenital heart disease.
Many modern devices combine classic ultrasound with dopplerography - a method that helps to see how the blood moves in the heart chambers.
No training is required for this examination. This procedure can be carried out if necessary even several times a day.
If the child already realizes what exactly he will have to endure, it is very important to set up the small patient psychologically. Be sure to calm yourself and try to calm the baby. Never discuss serious pathologies in a child. And, of course, assure him that it does not hurt at all - after all, this is indeed so.
Ultrasound of the heart of newborns is carried out exactly as they did it during pregnancy. The child will be smeared with a gel on the chest, then they will begin to conduct through it with a special sensor. The kid can even fidget a little. This will not affect the results of the study. Therefore, there is no doubt whether it is worth doing an ultrasound of the heart to the child, because it can reveal the existing defects in the early stages of development.
The procedure takes approximately 15 minutes. A qualified specialist will have to decipher the results. If necessary, consult a cardiologist. It is better to have the results of a cardiogram, as well as blood and urine tests, before an ultrasound scan. When conducting an ultrasound of the heart, you can identify many indicators of the heart, which will be evaluated only by a doctor (individually for each patient).
When conducting ultrasound, as a rule, they pay attention to what size the heart chambers have, what is the thickness of their walls, what are the shapes and operation of the heart valves, the movement of the heart muscle, etc. Changes in any of the parameters indicate different heart diseases.
Congenital malformations are a group of defects in the structure of the heart that occur in utero and are the result of many unfavorable factors affecting the fetus.
Ultrasound examination has entered our life so tightly, so no one is surprised anymore, having received a referral for an ultrasound immediately after the birth of the baby. There is nothing strange or terrible about this. Although, of course, there are as many opponents of ultrasound today as there are fans.
Ultrasound is prescribed only if there are serious indications. However, in recent years, more and more often, this procedure is recommended to be carried out “for reinsurance” starting from the first hours of a baby’s life. Naturally, you yourself have the right to decide whether or not to do an ultrasound of the heart of the child for this purpose. Experts say that the ultrasound method is completely safe. In this procedure, mechanical wave vibrations are used, unlike x-rays. However, many consider themselves ardent opponents of many ultrasound studies.
In any case, a doctor whom you fully trust will explain to you what should be done exactly in your case. However, if there is even the slightest doubt and suspicion about the health of a small heart - do not delay the ultrasound examination, and even more so do not refuse it! After all, it is much better to learn about the problem in time or to convince yourself that it does not exist, than to experience and lose precious time.