Can an echocardiogram more likely cause death to someone w/CHF/HBP/diabetes/90% !
Question: a person over the age of 50, about 60 pounds overweight??
IF not ,could a death of a loved one, 3 hours after an echocardiogram was done be an error of the tech. who gave it or the cardiologist who authorized the test ???
I was there, why woudn't they let me in to watch the echocardiogram being done, is it because they're afraid I might witness a mistake ?
A family member that I LOVED died just 3 hrs. AFTER the echocardiogram was done and she was FINE before having that very day too. Sure she died 2 years a go...BUT I can't help but wonder...
Answers: a person over the age of 50, about 60 pounds overweight??
IF not ,could a death of a loved one, 3 hours after an echocardiogram was done be an error of the tech. who gave it or the cardiologist who authorized the test ???
I was there, why woudn't they let me in to watch the echocardiogram being done, is it because they're afraid I might witness a mistake ?
A family member that I LOVED died just 3 hrs. AFTER the echocardiogram was done and she was FINE before having that very day too. Sure she died 2 years a go...BUT I can't help but wonder...
Here's what you need to understand about an echocardiogram or echo for short. It's a non-invasive diagnostic test.
This means all it does is collect data. It doesn't have any effect on the person like a medication would or a surgery would. I don't know what you know about echos but you can look it up online. It's basically an ultrasound (like they do on babies in the womb) of the heart. It takes images of the heart to see if chamber sizes, wall thickness, valve functions, and blood flow are all normal.
They might not have wanted you in the room because of a preference the tech might have had. I know that there are some echo techs who don't care if family is in the room but others don't want them there because they will ask questions. Echo techs aren't doctors and therefore have to be very careful how they answer a question and which questions to answer. Plus if someone is asking questions it can be distracting and they might forget something.
Even if a mistake was made you would not have been able to identify it. A mistake would have been, forgetting a view or imaging off axis and those things cannot cause a death. Even if the echo was perfectly done with no mistakes and clear images a patient still might die hours later.
More than likely, your family member felt fine or looked fine but the tech saw something on the echo that was not right and could ONLY be seen by the echo which is why you didn't know about it. The tech then would report it to the doctor if it was critical. But if that person had diabetes, CHF, and 90% clogged arteries...that's why the person died, not because of the echo. I'm sorry for your loss but it would seem that it was the pre-existing condition that caused the death not the echo.
Another thing to note, an echocardiogram is really not a big deal. Like I said, it's non-invasive and it's diagnostic, just data collection. All it does is take pictures of your heart. Anyone who goes into a hospital complaining of chest pain or symptomatic of CHF is ordered an echo as part of routine protocol. Cardiologist look at all the echos and sign all the reports. They determine treatment based on what they see. There just might not have been enough time in this case.
Echocardiograms do not harm you in any way, shape, or form. It sounds as if she had an existing condition that just wasn't caught soon enough. Sorry for your loss though.
Echo's are non invasive. All it does is take pictures of the heart. Nothing from an echo can harm anyone.
It's a non-invasive test. How could it hurt anyone?