LA GRANDE — Heart disease causes 1 in 4 deaths each year in the United States, making heart health a top priority at many hospitals and doctors’ offices. .

And the disease does not discriminate: men, women and most racial and ethnic groups are vulnerable.

Grande Ronde Hospital’s echocardiology department in La Grande keeps a keen watch on its patients through a mixture of technology and good technicians.

“Being able to do an echocardiogram is so critical to diagnosis,” said John Walmsley, the hospital’s lead echo sonographer. “With echocardiograms, by the time the patient sees a cardiologist, they know exactly what is going on.”

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart, showing what’s happening around and inside a person’s hardest working muscle. According to the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography and the American Society of Echocardiography, Oregon, North Dakota, New Mexico and New Hampshire are the only states with legislation requiring sonographers to be licensed.

Working hard

Walmsley was the only echo sonographer at Grande Ronde from May 2018 until this past January, which is when Matthew Zink joined to help lighten the load. The hospital does approximately 120 echocardiograms each month.

“Echo sonographers are in very high demand and very wanted,” said Deedee Tanner, cardiopulmonary manager at the hospital.

The echocardiology department works with almost every other department to help with treatment including the emergency room, hospitalist, respiratory therapy and pediatrics.

“Our work helps guide treatment, from what medicines may need to be prescribed, to determining if surgery is necessary,” Walmsley said.

Walmsley explained that today’s testing is not the same as what it was even 20 years ago. Grande Ronde got its first echocardiogram in 1992, and since then the department has focused on building a personal connection with each patient that receives a test. Walmsley said this one-on-one contact with patients builds trust and helps bring in people who might otherwise not be willing to go through the tests.

“We had to push to get to where we are today,” he said.

Leading the way

One of the most exciting moments for the department came in June 2011 when the hospital live streamed an echocardiogram to a doctor in Russia. This technology made the hospital one of the leaders in the state for using telemedicine in cardiology.

“We wanted to see if we could transmit an echo from La Grande to Moscow,” Walmsley said. “Using Department of Defense technology, we were able to do it. We became integral in the Oregon Board of Medicine, changing things regarding telemedicine.”

There are several types of echocardiograms. Transesophageal echocardiography produces pictures of the heart by going through the throat. A transthoracic echocardiography uses a transducer to scan a person’s chest to gather the images. Additional variations can include stress testing, which looks at the heart after exercise.

Echocardiogram tests are no risk, according to the Mayo Clinic. The stigma of heart problems and concern over the cost of these tests can keep people from coming in for testing, Walmsley said. The out-of-pocket/no insurance cost can be up to $2,000. 

Walmsley said having this access to the level of imaging Grande Ronde does is what will be most helpful in the fight against congestive heart failure.