Heart Failure
Diagnosis of Heart Failure
Jennifer Kong
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
- Briefly describe what cardiac ultrasound is and how it is used in the diagnosis of heart failure.
Cardiac Ultrasound (Echocardiography)
Listen to Heather Bourke, a cardiac sonographer, introduce her field of diagnostic medical sonography (ultrasound). She shows real echocardiography clips while speaking about what a patient can expect during echocardiography and the role of sonography in diagnosis of diseases.
Cardiac Ultrasound by Heather Bourke & Jennifer Kong, licensed under All rights reserved
Section Review
- Health care professionals work collaboratively in the diagnosis and management of heart failure and complications.
- Cardiac ultrasound (echocardiography) shows the real time pumping of the heart, thus helping to measure ventricular wall movement and ejection fraction.
Review Questions
1. Complete the following statement. Echocardiography is a(n):
- ultrasound method that uses sound waves to measure the motion of heart walls, determine speed of blood flow, and can calculate the volume within chambers
- method of imaging that takes still 3D images using magnetism
- method of measuring heart electrical activity during systole and diastole
- method using radiation to measure how well the heart is receiving nutrients and oxygen via the coronary vessels
2. In all of BC, there are more than 500 echocardiograms performed each day.
- True
- False
Answer Key
- ultrasound method that uses sound waves to measure the motion of heart walls, determine speed of blood flow, and can calculate the volume within chambers
- True
