Risks with swallowing echo

The swallow echo is a low-risk and fairly harmless examination method. The most common temporary side effects are an unpleasant feeling and slight pain in the throat due to irritation by the examination instrument. Only in extremely rare cases do serious side effects or complications occur.

These include, for example, cardiovascular or respiratory disorders. Very rare is an injury to the esophageal wall, which can lead to bleeding and inflammation. In extremely rare cases, an operation must be performed to repair the injury. A possible alternative method of examining the heart is the MRI of the heart. It helps to determine functional disorders of the heart.

How long does a swallow echo take?

The duration for the actual swallow echo examination is about 15 minutes. Added to this are possible waiting times and discussions with the doctor, for example. It must also be taken into account that if calming medication has been administered for the examination, the patient may not be able to leave the practice or hospital immediately. If necessary, it is advisable to stay in a monitored area until the effect wears off. It is also recommended that an adult accompanying person picks up the patient.

Is sedation necessary?

Whether a swallow echo is performed with or without sedation is primarily up to the patient’s wish. From a medical point of view, the sedative drugs can be dispensed with. However, sedation may be useful for patients who are excited or anxious about the upcoming examination.

In this way, the patient will only notice little of the examination. In addition, the examination conditions and thus the quality of the results improve if the patient can lie still. The night part of sedation when performing a TEE is that the patient is still dazed and sleepy after the examination and therefore cannot leave the practice or hospital immediately.

In addition, the patient is not allowed to participate in traffic 24 hours after sedation. An accompanying person is also necessary. Anyone who has the swallow echo performed without sedation is in no way impaired after the end of the examination and can go home immediately.

There are also no restrictions or impairments when driving a car. Whether or not sedation should be used must therefore be weighed up against the advantages and disadvantages mentioned above. The doctor performing the examination can support and advise the patient in this decision based on his experience.