Echocardiography (ECHO)

Welcome to the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Echocardiography Laboratory. Established in 1980, the Kaiser San Francisco team of 5 cardiac sonographers and 8 cardiologists performed 7030 echocardiographic procedures to support the cardiovascular care of our members.

The most common test performed is transthoracic echocardiography. Transthoracic echocardiography is a safe and painless imaging procedure using ultrasound waves to take pictures of the heart. The test takes 20 minutes and involves the placement of small pads on your chest to record the heartbeat. A small probe coated with gel is then moved across your chest to generate detailed images of your heart with sound waves. At times, you may hear sounds from the machine when we perform a Doppler study to measure the direction and amount of blood flow through the heart. At the end of the exam, a comprehensive assessment of heart structure and function, as well as normal and abnormal blood flow within the heart will be generated.

Please wear loose fitting clothing or a two-piece outfit prior to the procedure but otherwise, no special preparation is necessary.

Click here for additional echocardiography procedures (in addition to the basic transthoracic echocardiography as described above).

Addresses
2238 Geary Blvd. 8th Floor
San Francisco  CA 94115

2425 Geary Blvd. 2nd Floor
San Francisco CA 94115

1600 Owens St.  4th Floor
San Francisco  CA 94158

Hours
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday

Telephone
Adult Echos: 415-833-4270
Pediatric Echos: 415-833-3449