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Risks
By Mayo Clinic staffThere are few risks involved in a standard transthoracic echocardiogram. You may feel some discomfort similar to pulling off an adhesive bandage when the technician removes the electrodes placed on your chest during the procedure.
If you have a transesophageal echocardiogram, your throat may be sore for a few hours afterward. Rarely, the tube may scrape the inside of your throat. Your oxygen level will be monitored during the exam to check for any breathing problems caused by sedation medication.
During a stress echocardiogram, exercise or medication — not the echocardiogram itself — may temporarily cause an irregular heartbeat. Serious complications, such as a heart attack, are rare.
- Echocardiography. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/echo/echo_all.html. Accessed May 13, 2010.
- Douglas PS, et al. ACCF/ASE/ACEP/ASNC/SCAI/SCCT/SCMR 2007 appropriateness criteria for transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2007;50:187.
- Pellikka PA, et al. American Society of Echocardiography recommendations for performance, interpretation, and application of stress echocardiography. Journal of American Society of Echocardiography. 2007;20:1021.
- Manning WJ. Principles of Doppler echocardiography. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed May 11, 2010.
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