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Lani · 10-12-2007, 06:04 PM

such as if there is a shunt or hole between one part of the heart and another
causing the heart to beat less efficiently (a very rare structural problem that would have been present since birth or after a heart surgery)

I may be wrong, but I was told this by a very experienced echo technician who is involved in research and was one of the earliest adopters of the 3 d echo machines at Stanford(most institutions only have 2d machines). Stanford does lots of congenital heart correction operations and heart transplants as well as valve replacements and repairs, so their echo department is very active.

As the echos in patients getting herceptin only need to give an accurate percentage regarding the fraction of the blood volume of the heart that is ejected with each heart beat (ejection fraction) and particularly of the left ventricle (although someone here posted they had right heart problems on herceptin--this is very basic information easily derived and with no necessity to use the contrast dye.

So as far as I know, this is one concern one can be spared!

There are so many things to be worried about, it would be nice if there were one less.

Again, I am not a cardiologist and am only reporting what I have been told--if I recall RobinP used to be a cardiacICU nurse at Johns Hopkins.

Perhaps she can share some of her expertise with us.

10-12-2007, 06:04 PM	#11
Lani Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 4,783	as far as I know contrast dye is used in echos only to look for very rare conditions such as if there is a shunt or hole between one part of the heart and another causing the heart to beat less efficiently (a very rare structural problem that would have been present since birth or after a heart surgery) I may be wrong, but I was told this by a very experienced echo technician who is involved in research and was one of the earliest adopters of the 3 d echo machines at Stanford(most institutions only have 2d machines). Stanford does lots of congenital heart correction operations and heart transplants as well as valve replacements and repairs, so their echo department is very active. As the echos in patients getting herceptin only need to give an accurate percentage regarding the fraction of the blood volume of the heart that is ejected with each heart beat (ejection fraction) and particularly of the left ventricle (although someone here posted they had right heart problems on herceptin--this is very basic information easily derived and with no necessity to use the contrast dye. So as far as I know, this is one concern one can be spared! There are so many things to be worried about, it would be nice if there were one less. Again, I am not a cardiologist and am only reporting what I have been told--if I recall RobinP used to be a cardiacICU nurse at Johns Hopkins. Perhaps she can share some of her expertise with us.