WHAT IS CARDIOVASCULAR SONOGRAPHY?
Is the Cardiovascular Sonography Program Right for You? A Former Student's Perspective.
A cardiovascular sonographer utilizes high-frequency sound (ultrasound) to provide physicians with images of the heart (echocardiogram) and vasculature.
Cardiac and vascular sonographers typically work in hospitals, physician's offices, and mobile health services, Monday through Friday, 40 hours per week. In 2009 the median annual salary for a sonographer was about $63,000.
Doppler ultrasound is used to measure blood flow velocities, allowing the diagnosis of stenotic heart valves, as well as atherosclerosis in peripheral blood vessels.
In laboratory, students practice obtaining images on each otherunder the watchful eye of an LSUHSC instructor.
Color flow Doppler echocardiography shows blood crossing a heart defect.