An ultrasound of the heart is called an “echocardiogram.” It
is done to get pictures of the heart and the areas around the heart. Better pictures are sometimes seen if a
material called “contrast” is used during the ultrasound. One type of contrast
is saline (sterile salt water). When saline is used it is called a “bubble
study”.
During a bubble study the doctor or nurse will shake the salt water
until it forms small bubbles. The bubbles are then injected into the vein
through an intravenous line (IV). In a normal heart the bubbles are filtered by
the lungs and are seen only on the right side of the heart. If the bubbles are
seen on the left side, it shows that there is an opening between the two sides
of the heart, which is abnormal. The abnormality can be an atrial-septal defect
or a ventricular septal defect. The bubble study helps to identify those
abnormalities.
