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A number of tests may be ordered for the young patient to assess for all heart defects present. These tests include:
- Electrocardiogram (EKG). A painless test that measures the electrical activity of the heart.
- Chest x-ray. A painless radiation-based imaging test that offers the physician a picture of the general size, shape, and structure of the heart and lungs.
- Echocardiogram. A painless and noninvasive test that uses sound waves to visualize the structures and functions of the heart. A moving image of the patient’s beating heart is played on a video screen, where a physician can study the heart’s thickness, size and function. The image also shows the motion pattern and structure of the four heart valves, revealing any potential leakage (regurgitation) or narrowing (stenosis). During this test, a Doppler ultrasound may be done to evaluate cardiac blood flow.
Today, echocardiograms, or fetal ultrasounds, allow physicians to diagnose some of the most serious congenital heart defects before birth. This allows the parents and physician to develop a treatment plan that begins immediately after birth. This test is usually used to make the initial diagnosis as well as to monitor the heart’s function following treatment.
In some patients, a physician may need to do a more invasive test called a cardiac catheterization to evaluate the function of the heart, perform imaging studies (angiography), and make some measurements that may not be possible with echocardiography. These are commonly performed between the stages of the Fontan procedure.
The patient is generally admitted to the hospital on the same day as the scheduled surgery. A chest x-ray, EKG and blood tests will again be performed, and the patient will be prepped for surgery. The patient is then given a sleep-inducing medication (general anesthesia) through an intravenous (IV.) line. The patient will continue to breathe a mixture of oxygen and anesthetic gas to make sure that he or she remains asleep throughout the entire surgery.
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