An echocardiogram is a type of imaging technology that enables health-care providers to take pictures of the heart for diagnostic reasons. The echocardiogram utilizes sound waves to produce visual images of how the heart is functioning. Your child may be awake during the procedure, though some highly excitable children may need to be mildly sedated, depending on age. However, the old saying that information is power works just as well with children as it does with adults. Talk to your child about the echocardiogram process, why it's done and what happens during the procedure. This discussion will help prepare a young child, physically and emotionally, for the test.
Step 1
Explain to your child what an echocardiogram is. An electrocardiogram, at its most basic definition, takes pictures of the heart. If you're not sure how to explain this, do some research on your own so you're better able to answer any questions your child may have. Tell your child he may hear some noises coming from the echo machine, and tell him that these sounds are recordings of his blood whooshing through his heart. Most important, tell your child that the procedure is painless and won't hurt.
Step 2
Describe the equipment that is used during the procedure so your child won't be alarmed or frightened by it. Your child needs to know that some wires will be attached to three small patches applied to the chest. These wires record the pace and strength of the heartbeat and send that information to the machine. Warm gel may be applied to the skin to help the technician move the probe, a small, handheld device that takes pictures of the heart.
Step 3
Tell your child that she will have to lie down on a bed or table during the procedure, and will have to lie very still. Try to make this part of the procedure a game for her. For example, tell your child to see how long she can lie as still as a rock while the technician, called a sonographer, is conducting the test.
Step 4
Inform your child that the lights in the room may be dimmed if the technician can't see her computer screen images adequately. The technician will move the probe to different areas of the chest and abdominal area to gain a variety of images that are stored in the technician's computer.
Step 5
Prepare your child for the feel of the gel and probe against his skin by making a pretend test at home. Place some gel or lotion on your child's chest and stomach, and then slide a small, smooth glass bottom over his chest and stomach, telling him that this is what the probe will feel like.
