Echocardiography

The echocardiography laboratory, directed by Dr. Theresa Tacy, evaluates patients with congenital heart disease ranging from the fetus to the adult, providing high-quality diagnostic services in a patient-friendly environment. The program performs more than 11,000 echocardiography studies per year. The Laboratory is led by 7 full-time readers of cardiac ultrasound: Drs. Balasubramanian, Kipps, Murphy, Olson, Punn, Tacy, and Tierney, who are all expert echocardiographers. The Laboratory’s accomplished sonographers perform echocardiography studies and provide supervision and training to fellows on all aspects of cardiac ultrasound.

Included in the Echocardiography Program is the Fetal Cardiology Program, which cares for nearly 1,400 patients per year. The Fetal Cardiology Program provides diagnosis, management, and counseling for fetal heart disease, and works in close partnership with the Center for Maternal and Fetal Health in prenatal management and delivery planning for fetuses with heart disease.

The active intra-operative transesophageal echocardiography service, also part of the Echocardiography Program, provides diagnostic support for the surgical program. The Laboratory performs nearly 1,000 transesophageal studies per year.

The Laboratory’s attending physicians drive unit excellence by conducting regular teaching sessions with fellows and sonographers. These conferences address the various aspects of the discipline of cardiac ultrasound and their clinical relevance. Additionally, the faculty hold weekly didactic teaching sessions covering ultrasound physics, physiology, and anatomy, as well as quality improvement topics pertinent to congenital heart disease. The teaching sessions are supported by hands-on and simulator training.