Transthoracic echocardiogram (echo)

This picture shows a person getting an echocardiogram (or "echo"). To do an echo, a doctor or nurse puts some gel on a person's chest. They press a thick wand (called a "transducer") against the chest and move it around. An echo uses sound waves to create images of the heart that appear on a computer screen. A test called an electrocardiogram (ECG) is done during an echo. For an ECG, patches (called "electrodes") are stuck to a person's chest. Wires run from the patches to a machine that records the electrical activity of the heart.