For your first visit to the Cardiology Kawasaki Disease Program, it can be helpful to prepare by bringing a couple of items.

• Medical records: Please bring copies of any medical records related to Kawasaki disease. If you have already sent copies of medical records, please bring paper copies as well, if available.
• Questions: We know that this diagnosis can be overwhelming, and no question is too big or too small. 

Routine Testing to Expect at Appointments

When your child is seen by the Cardiology Kawasaki Disease Program in one of CHOP’s many outpatient offices, there may be several potential tests involved.

• Echocardiogram: An echocardiogram involves taking an ultrasound of the heart, which creates images for our team to review. For Kawasaki disease, an echocardiogram is very important to evaluate coronary arteries.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG): An electrocardiogram allows us to measure electrical activity in the heart. We perform an ECG by attaching electrodes (small stickers) to your child's chest, arms and legs, and the ECG machine then produces a printout for our team to review. 

Possible Additional Testing

Our team will discuss if your child needs any of these tests on the day of the appointment. 

• Exercise stress test: Patients may need to undergo an exercise stress test. During this test, an ECG is taken while your child exercises on a treadmill or stationary bicycle. We also often have our patients breathe into a mask apparatus, which helps collect additional information about the heart and lung function.
• Stress echocardiogram: A stress echocardiogram is an echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) that evaluates the heart function during exercise and is used in conjunction with the exercise stress test. 

Other additional testing may be necessary, including advanced imaging tests such as cardiac MRIs or CT studies.

Our team is always available to help you prepare for your appointments with the Cardiology Kawasaki Disease Program. Please contact us at 215-590-4040 with any questions.