A swallow echo is a special ultrasound examination of the heart. The ultrasound probe is placed in the oesophagus and from there the heart, which is located directly in front of it, is sounded. The procedure is also known as transesophageal echocardiography, or TEE for short. In contrast to alternative ultrasound examination via the thorax … Swallowing Echo
Preparation for a swallow echo To perform a swallow echo, the patient must be fasting. This means that no food or drink may be eaten or drunk for at least the previous six hours. If a sedative is to be administered, the patient is usually given a vein access in one arm. In addition, if … Preparation for a swallow echo | Swallowing Echo
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 … Risks with swallowing echo | Swallowing Echo
Do you have to be sober for a swallow echo? An important prerequisite for a swallow echo to be performed is that the patient is fasting. This means that at least six hours before the start of the examination, nothing must be eaten or drunk. Even after the end of the examination, food should not … Do you have to be sober for a swallow echo? | Swallowing Echo
Introduction The heart plays a central role in the human cardiovascular system because it is the motor of the circulatory system. The blood from the body’s circulatory system first reaches the right half of the heart. From there the blood is pumped into the lungs, where it is supplied with oxygen. From the pulmonary circulation … Task of the heart
Tasks of the atria In the atria, the heart collects the blood from the preceding circulatory segments. Through the upper and lower vena cava, the blood from the body’s circulation reaches the right atrium. From there it is pumped through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. The atrium itself has hardly any pumping function. … Tasks of the atria | Task of the heart
Task of the heart valves The heart has four heart valves, whereby one differentiates between pocket and sail valves. The two sail valves separate the atria of the heart from the ventricles. The so-called tricuspid valve lies between the right atrium and the right ventricle, the mitral valve forms the border between the left atrium … Task of the heart valves | Task of the heart
Task of the pacemaker A pacemaker is needed when the heart is no longer able to beat regularly on its own. This can have various causes. For example, the sinus node, the heart‘s own pacemaker, no longer works reliably or there are problems in the conduction system. In both cases the pacemaker can take over … Task of the pacemaker | Task of the heart