Heart ultrasound (echo)

• Bring your BC Services Card
• Wear a loose-fitting shirt that's easy to remove
• In the room, someone will ask you to change into a gown

• Bring your BC Services Card and wear comfortable clothing
• The night before this test, do not eat or drink anything after midnight
• Continue to take all your medicines as directed by your doctor. Drink only enough water as necessary to swallow your pills
• Bring a list of the medicines you take regularly
• Please arrange for someone to pick you up and take you home; you are not allowed to leave the hospital alone
• You cannot drive or travel alone for the next 24 hours, so make sure you have a plan for that

If you're unable to exercise we will give you a medicine called dobutamine. This will result in a higher pulse and blood pressure. We will give it through an intravenous line. The medicine will slowly increase your pulse and blood pressure. The cardiologist and specially trained health professionals will constantly watch you. They will also check your vital signs. We will take an ECG (heart tracing) and perform an echocardiogram during the test. You will likely feel a slight headache, nausea (feeling sick to your stomach), anxious or shaky.

The Dobutamine stress test itself usually takes about 1 hour to complete. Please plan on 2 hours for the whole thing, including registering, changing clothes, and setting up the equipment.

• Do not eat any food for 2 hours before the test
• Take your regular medicines at their usual time with a small amount of water. You can have a light breakfast if your test is scheduled later in the morning (after 11 AM). If you have a test scheduled for the early afternoon, make sure to have a regular breakfast and a very light lunch.
• If you have diabetes, follow your regular eating and medicine schedule
• If you have specific questions about your medicines for that day, please ask your family doctor. You can also ask the cardiologist (heart doctor) who referred you.
• Dress so that you can take off all your clothes from the waist up. We will give you a gown. We will clean and lightly rub small patches of skin on your chest, arms, and legs. This will make sure the electrocardiogram (ECG – a heart tracing) patches stay on during the test.
• Please bring photo identification and your BC Services Card (or BC Care Card)

A specially trained technologist will place a gel on your chest. They will then run a wand (ultrasound probe) over your chest to get different views of your heart. Most patients don’t experience any discomfort. The test takes about 30 minutes, but please allow for one and a half hours.

We do this test by passing a probe through your mouth and down your esophagus (food passage to your stomach). This allows us to get up close to your heart and see how it is working. You will receive medicine to make you drowsy and relaxed for this test.

You will be able to return to your normal activities after the test. We suggest you bring someone with you to drive you home, because the medicine may leave you feeling weak. Your family doctor and cardiologist will get a report of the results within a week.