Cardioversion by nurse or doctor ?

[Nugger]

Was told that I was penciled in for a cardiovertion on the 14 june,depended on what my ecocardiogram looked like,we'll guess what this cardio nurse says your heart isn't pumping enough to have it done by a nurse & I will have to wait yet another 4 weeks.

Told him it's the best I've ever felt in sfib & had just walked it to hospital 3 miles & then walking 3 miles to my daughter's & then 3 miles back home,how can this be if my heart is in such bad shape,he had no answer,he didn't seem too bright at all.

Has anyone else come across this ?

[BobD Volunteer]

Nurses never do cardioversion from my experience. You need an anaesthetist to send you away with the fairies. After the nurse or assistant have wired you up to the paddles and ECG leads you have the fairy juice pumped into your arm and while you are away the doctor operates the machine which times the shock in the right place in your heart beat. You must have a doctor there in case anything goes wrong so nonsense told you in my view.

Sounds like this person was well off track.

[Nugger in reply to BobD]

Yep I've had 2 in the past but over seas but this is nhs lol,there called cardiac nurse's,the woman I was supposed to see was off with a bad back,she's also a friend of my daughter's & my daughter told me she did cardioversions,so I guess they do do them but this guy started talking to me like I knew nothing,explaining I had heart failure,really lol

So my hearts been doing 150 bpm since February & only slowed down after putting me on amioderone,now 110 & now you say my heart not strong enough to have it done with nurse,so we'll keep you in afib another month longer,it's a joke

[Mollykelly123 in reply to Nugger]

Yes there is nurses trained to do it my cardioversion was a nurse led cardioversion i asked

[bushy2016 in reply to BobD]

Last time I remember around 5 people in the room all very highly trained

[seasider18 in reply to bushy2016]

Five, that's why before my pacemaker was fitted that I was told that the Cath Lab is the safest place in the world. When I had my Amplatzer amulet fitted there were eight there. No wonder it cost so much.

[seasider18 in reply to BobD]

The two I had were done by a Matron and a Sister. After the last one the Matron asked if I remembered anything. When I said No she asked if I was sure so I wondered if something had happened. I had felt quite awake after getting home after the first one but the second time I felt whacked and went to bed in the afternoon and slept until nearly midnight. I then slept all night but still felt drowsy until the next afternoon.

[Mazza23]

I agree with bob I have had seven cvs and always had at least three docs an a couple of nurses

[Nugger in reply to Mazza23]

Thanks mazza,should have used a different hospital

[Jollies]

I had a cardioversion at Addenbrookes in Cambridge which was done by a specially trained nurse. It was brought in to cut down on waiting times .

[Bolander]

I've only had one cardioversion and this was carried out by a specialist cardiology registrar with another specialist to do a cardiogram beforehand and nurses in attendance. Like BObD I would be surprised, not to say alarmed, to think that the procedure would be left to a nurse.

[Nugger in reply to Bolander]

Thanks Bolander

[Hidden in reply to Nugger]

This is just me but I would NEVER allow anyone but the Electrophysiologist(who I had been seen by and who gave me enough confidence for me to sign the consent)do any AF related procedure on me. Not even a cardiologist. I want the deck stacked in my favor.! Just my opinion. irina. BYW, when I'm out of the hospital I always check my online medical records; read my operation/ procedure reports and be sure the people I expected to be there taking care of me are actually the ones who did. These are records we have a right to access. They should state everything that was done to you in detail, what equipment was used down to the size sutures used. No grey areas here.

[Nugger in reply to Hidden]

I take it your in the states,don't think that our hospital,which is huge, has a electrophysiologist,so next time going to try a different hospital,cos this one sucks!

[Hidden in reply to Nugger]

I am in the states. One of the reasons I believe docs and others are so careful about avoiding situations like these and careful documentation is because we are such a litigious (sp?) country. There are malpratice attorneys coming out of the woodwork and they have many expensive tv ads encouraging us to sue if we think we've been wronged. In fact, most of these cases are taken on spec. If we win, the lawyer gets a (large) percentage; if we lose we don't owe and they get nothing. It's the luck of the draw.

[seasider18 in reply to Bolander]

I had an angiogram by an assistant registrar that took 55 minutes to do and he kept on asking for other sizes of catheters and at one point near the end asked the nurse if she could get it round a difficult bend. She said No fear and he said he had seen enough and would finish there.

I later complained to the head of cardiologly and he apologised and said that he was still under training but the supervising doctor had not got there until he had finished. It had been a day with a lot of emergencies as I had been scheduled for a morning but not taken in until nearly 6pm.

My previous angiogram had taken about ten minutes.

[Nugger in reply to seasider18]

Wow,when I had what I thought was an angiogram,only a dye is used & they check the flow through your heart,like you said,takes 5 minutes

[seasider18 in reply to Nugger]

At the first one he was pushing away at my groin for a while and then went over to a table with instrument and a screen above it. I called out 'When are you going to start' he replied " It is finished and I'm watching the action replay " and turned the screen so I could see it.

The second one was done via my wrist and that saves you having to lay still and flat for about three hours as they put a tight strap round your wrist. Though that way you don't get the pretty young trainee nurse pressing her hand in your groin

[Nugger in reply to seasider18]

Yep,the one I had done in my wrist & watched it in real time,no meds,had 2 colonoscopies no meds too lol

[seasider18 in reply to Nugger]

My colonoscopy put me back into AF fifteen months after my cardioversion due to it stimulating my vagus nerve.

[Nugger in reply to seasider18]

Jesus,what a pain

[Hidden in reply to Nugger]

You're Brave!!!

[Hidden in reply to seasider18]

LOL. Every cloud has a silver lining!!!

[seasider18 in reply to Hidden]

The same happened when I had a DRE (digital rectal examination)

[Spoiler]

No, I have had 14 in 4 years. All were by my EP Dr. in ER or the hospital.

[Nugger in reply to Spoiler]

Cheers spoiler

[Mugster]

Mine was carried out very professionally by the arrthymia nurse she does then all at Epsom I believe. She shaved me did the Pre op interview and post op clinic.

Of course there was an anetheist as well.

[Nugger in reply to Mugster]

Nice to know mugster,did she ever say that she might not be able to do it & have to get doctor to do it instead?

Nurse said my heart was too weak,load of crap,walked 9 miles that day,up steep hills,not out of breath either

[Alil]

At one of mine the anaesthetist told me he did all the work as all the cardiologist had to do was press the button on the machine 😂

[Nugger in reply to Alil]

Yep & he don't have much to do either,blows me away the waiting list for such an easy operation

[lindat15]

All planned cardioversions here appear to be done by a Cardiac specialist nurse. ECG and Electrolytes checked couple of days ahead of procedure. Nurse is supported by Consultant Anaesthetist and their team and seems to work well.

[Nugger in reply to lindat15]

Where's this ?

[lindat15 in reply to Nugger]

NE Scotland!