Echo test.

[Celestial123]

Hi all this is not about me but my husband had an Echo test last week all went well he was only in there about 15 minutes , just wanted to know how long will he have to wait for results, he keeps saying oh well no news is good new's , he did have a very high pulse rate and was in hostpital for a few day's, can anyone tell me what happen's after the echo test . Thanks.

[PeterWh]

I'm afraid you'll have to ask the particular hospital. The one I go to often give you the results the same day or you have an appointment with the consultant within the following two weeks. Others wait until your next consultation unless there are problems. If no consultant meeting booked then report sent to GP.

[Celestial123 in reply to PeterWh]

Thank you, he is ok but very tired and his pulse is still quite fastd but no chest pains, just have to wait I guess. Thanks again.

[BobD Volunteer]

What is important is that when he has any tests you ask for copies of all reports to be sent to you as is your right. They may not mean much to you but useful to have all records to hand. Generally speaking for an echocardiogram the operator will prepare the report for the consultant with copies as appropriate. I would guess seven to ten days depending on how busy they are. It will include data about any valve leakage or abnormalities (all four valves), size and shape of both atria and ventricles, output etc plus details of aorta and some veins. I can tell you this as I am looking at my last report whilst typing so you know what to expect. There is also a vast number of dimensions and volumes which are indecipherable to lay people like us. as well I imagine as many GPs unless they have a special interest in cardiology. If you have not registered for copies of test results then do chase you GP . My experience is that if things are normal they sometimes tend to file them and forget to tell patients. Only bad news is newsworthy. As somebody who waits with baited breath every six months for my PSA blood test results I do understand the stress or waiting for test results.. (Five years and counting!)

[Celestial123 in reply to BobD]

Thank you.

[gwyn53]

I waited about two weeks then contacted my own gp.

They dont always tell you right away.

[excalibur]

if he was in hospital and they organised the echo, then his discharge summary/letter should say what happens next. I would expect that it would have indicated an echo followed by an outpatient appointment probably a month or 2 later and you'll have to wait till then. If something surfaces that's more urgent they will contact your GP

[traveler65]

@Celestial123 The echocardiogram can tell if the left atrium is enlarged (dilated)., if the left ventricle wall is thickened, if any of the 4 heart valves have any abnormalities, and other things of which I am not aware. All of this information helps to diagnose the cause of your husband's rapid heart rate. In a way your husband is correct. If the technician and doctors saw something drastically wrong that could result in a cardiovascular adverse event soon, they would have kept him in the hospital and done further testing and a procedure, if necessary, to alleviate the problem. If you want a copy of the results, written, in detail, you must ask for it--- and if told they ususally don't give out copies to the patients--say that it is your legal right to have a copy of any medical information about you, because technically this information is your property and you want a copy. they have to give you one. However, you will need a google search of some of the terms in the copy and a pen and notebook to take notes in order to completely understand the test results--nothing wrong with that. the more you know about your husband's situation, the better you can deal with it and decide what to do. When all testing is done and your husband has a follow up visit with the original cardiologist who ordered the test, he/she will probably give him a watered down version (patient friendly) of the test results. But if you really want to know about it, get the copy of the test result.

The reason I started readiing more scientific literature and research article on my particular heart issues were that the first cardiologist I saw about them gave me a bunch of tests, and at the follow up said ":well you have heart disease, but you are not as bad as Dick Cheney -former vp of usa who had many heart attacks and finally a heart transplant). I said "could you be more specific". She said "well you really do not have heart disease now, but you are going to have heart disease" I asked her why"? and she told me I had to have heart disease in the future. I asked her if there was anything I was willing to do to avoid this what would that be, hypothetically speaking. She said if I were a nomadic hunter in Africa I would not have heart disease. I told her I was cancelling my follow up with her and moving to Africa for a year to hunt for my dinner on the Masa Mari (plains of Tanzania), and that I would have that follow up visit when I returned. . Then I made an appointment to see an electrophysiologist.l I had an abnormal ekg, which the general cardiologist was not capable of interpreting because you need an electrophysiologist for that.

[CDreamer in reply to traveler65]

Great answer - both to post & cardiologist. Your story perfectly illustrates exactly why I also started to study health conditions and never took a doctor's word for anything without trying to understand it myself.

[Goldfish_ in reply to traveler65]

Careful with getting angry and stating your rights. Under the data protection act they are allowed up to 40 days to provide you with the copy after your request, payment and identification have all been supplied to them.

[traveler65 in reply to Goldfish_]

@Goldfish_ I am glad I do not live in the UK. No one is expressing anger-merely stating that you have a right to see your medical records. Obviously Americans have more rights that those in the UK. We also have access to supplements and a choice of type of medical care, including things like regenerative medicine, which is not always covered by insurance,but which is excellent and is available. I've made use of these things at my expense (prolotherapy in my knees, right shoulder following shoulder surgery and viscotherapy--as you need all 3 in addition to physical therapy to heal properly; visco therapy in my right shoulder with supartZ after the synovium puncked out, and prp -platelet rich protein-from my own blood extracted in a special centrifuge--- injections in my right rotator cuff and biceps tendon to heal the hole in my supra spinitus tendon and the degraded biceps tendon--- all of these were healing and prevented the downstream orthopedic surgery, which is covered by insurance, but which no one is dying to have- not to mention the drug side effects) Most of these issues were cause d by sports injuries (horsebackriding) and a car accident. If the regenerative medicine was not available more surgery would have been involved. We also have access to excellent stem cell(autologous) therapy for healing of injuries if needed. Independent doctors can charge anything they want for this and it is very expensive , but at University Orthopedics, at University of Rochester Medical Center, the cost is only $3000. I have been on riding trips in Asia, and Iceland etc, where there are Brits, Aussies, Americans, and Scandinavian and Germans. I would say that the Brits are the most conservative, The Americans especially from NYC seem ( as I am ) more pushy, and the Aussies don't care they just say what they think because in Australia political correctness is not a government issues, everyone else is more laid back-- an interesting combo for 2 weeks of horseriding some camel riding and camping. BTW everyione brought medical stuff with them just in case, meds, 1st aid, soft splints, electrolyte replacements, etc etc. and on many trips there are doctors as participants, which is always handy, in the event of an injury. Some countries have such terrible medical care--or non existent avaiable decent meds-- so you bring your own and buy emergency first responder medical evacuation insurance-- where doctors come to get you in a jet helicopter--When my saddle fell off because I had not checked the girth and tightened it enough, and I fell of with the saddle, my neck was very sore and an equestrian opthalmologic surgeion from Switzerland , who was on the trip with us, checked out my neck to make sure I was okay. I did not care that she was a veterinarian, she was still able to check out my neck.For some tour companies if the doctor agrees to be the trip doctor they go on the trip for free. On a couple of these trips I had intermittant very slight afib, but did not know it was afib--thought it was a reaction to the 10,000 foot altitude, or the altitude meds. I am lucky that this did not progress to something worse, in the middle of nowhere, which is where you are on these trips. Obviously , I am not doing this any longer. Being close to 70 (although I started these activities at 48 and continued for a long time), this is a good time to quit while you are ahead ( or at least while your head is still attached to your shoulders).

[traveler65]

@Celestial 123 did a doctor order a thyroid panel of tests to screen for hyperthyroidism ( which can cause rapid heart rates)--actuaoly hypothyroidism can do this also. They should test not just tsh, but Free T4, total T4, Free T3, total T3, reverse T3, T3 uptake, all 4 autoimmune tests, and THBG (thyroid hormjone binding glubuline), also B12, B6, iodine, red blood cell magnesium, comprehensive metabolic panel. These tests can reveal why your husband's heart is beating too fast. Ignoring that just because an echo is negative is ridiccuulous. There are many reasons why your heart can beat to fast. If the thyroid tests are all normal except that the reverse T3 is too high this relates to your fast heart rate.

[Celestial123 in reply to traveler65]

No don't think he has had that test , will look into it but don't know results of Echo test yet will ring docs on Monday, thank you for your help.

[taffdog2]

One thing that you can ask for on the day is what is the ejection factor, the higer the better, the first time that i had one mine was about 45 and over some time after 3 hear attacks went down to about 25. I belive 65 is very good. Now it is 56 after a transplant. All the very best to you both. Peter