Hi All,
I have currently been waiting since May for a perfusion MRI scan and have just been informed the earliest its likely to be is Nov unless I get a cancellation slot. I fully understand this as the NHS is very busy but I am now considering getting a scan done privately if possible.
Has anyone ever gotten this sort of scan done privately and what sort of cost was it? Also, if you do get a private scan and you need treatment eg stents, can you still get those done on the NHS?
Thanks
Brian
Hey Brian!
Sorry you have to have tests done, it’s not much fun. I have had a mix of private and NHS treatments for my heart issues. Originally the NHS GP missed it (not normal for a slim 31 yr female old to present with angina)…I saw several GPs until I asked to see a consultant privately and even then I was sent to a rheumatologist. Anyway, I’m now 35 and 8 months CABGx2 post op! I had a mix of private and NHS treatments leading up to the op and have had a mix since. The key is to make sure that they are talking to each other!! They should CC you in to all documents sent to your NHS GP (we nicknamed these death letters 🤣) and it should be OK.
In regards to a perfusion MRI, I had one a couple of weeks back - I was told in my area that they could ONLY be done on the NHS because of the machinery needed to do it. I’m still waiting for my results and I was told it could be up to 5 weeks to get them. Mine was requested back in May as well.
If you have any tests done privately you can still be treated by the NHS, I was just lucky that my bypass surgery was available on my insurance to be done privately.
A couple words of advice in regards to private treatments. If you see a cardiologist for an appointment and they do an ECG if will be billed separately (£80) and do not get any blood work done, always ask for what it needed and go to your GP or hospital to have the tests. I’ve made that mistake before and it cost about £800!!
Good luck, if you want to know more about what a perfusion test is like, just ask x
Hi
I am due to have a perfusion test in October i would be very interested to hear what it is like
Hey!
So, they aren’t much fun but definitely better than an angiogram! A perfusion MRI measures the blood flow to your heart and it will see if there is any scarring or any damage which is stopping blood getting to different parts of your heart. They will take you through to the prep room and you will have an ECG. They will then put a cannula in each arm and I have to say that my radiologist was excellent as I barely felt either cannula and I have quite difficult veins, so I was very impressed. You Then go through to the MRI scanner and lay on the little table that will take you into it. You will have headphones on which have a microphone built into it so you can hear them and they can hear you.
You will then have a series of photos taken in the MRI scanner which take about 10 to 15 minutes. After this they will give you drugs in one arm and the dye in the other. Both of these will feel cold when they go in. The drug for me hit me very hard and very fast, as soon as my arm felt cold I felt the effects of the drug. For me, the side-effects of the drug were that I was short of breath and my chest felt hot, and it was just a bit “stressful”. When they gave me the drugs they asked me constantly how I was feeling and to rate my side-effects out of 5. I gave the score of four because although it wasn’t very pleasant, it didn’t hurt in anyway. As soon as they stop giving you the drugs you will feel much better, it’s funny how fast the drugs were off again. They then image you for another 10 to 15 minutes to look at how your heart is now after being stressed out.
What they didn’t tell me in my literature, but I later saw in another hospitals literature, it’s how tired you will feel afterwards. They say you can drive yourself there but to take somebody if you can and I would recommend taking somebody so they can drive home. I was like a zombie afterwards and very thankful for my husband driving home as I fell fast asleep. I was fine by the evening though and felt absolutely fine the next day, no after affects lingering.
I hope this helps and if you have any other questions please just ask x
Hi Marmite. Thank you so much for your in-depth repies! I have never had private treatment so I hadnt considered hidden costs, thats something I will have to consider as I dont have private health insurance and would have to pay the bill out of savings. Am also very glad you discussed keeping everyone in the loop. My gp seems to have trouble getting info from my local hospital so a private facility would be a potential extra layer of compexity.
I hope you are well on the way to recovery since your CABG and that your recent MRI was just a check up and you dont have any other issues. I am 2 and half years post a double CABG. All was going relatively well (apart from still getting pain in my chest from the op) until I started getting angina pains, went for a cardio CT scan and found out one of my bypass grafts has failed! Did you have to have a GTN tablet for your MRI scan?
I feel for you trying to convince people you had a cardio issue. I was 45 when I was diagnosed as having cardiac artory disease and, right up to being wheeled into my angiogram, noone really believed I had an issue until everyone mid proceedure suddenly went very quiet and serious 🤣.
Thanks again for your great reply and all the best, hope all goes well.
Hi there, you are lucky you had it done and awaiting for result of MRI perfusion scan. Is this delay caused by lack of secretarial staff to type out the result or short of radiology staff to interpret the result? Please ring and find out what is the cause. In my case it is a disaster. I had pacemker implanted on 22.2.2000 and it was upgraded on 1.9.2021. Both are MRI compatible. Recently I was clinically diagnosed with gall bladder problem which on ultrasound showed sludge in biliary tract. My consultant surgeon would not operate unless I have MRI scan which would show the true picture. However, MRI department of local hospital would not do it at all. I have made inquiry in big teaching hospital like Guys St Thomas, Kings Hospital etc. and they would it only under cardiology stand by and support and would not commit till early next year. The local private hospital has given the same time scale. I have written to Chief Executive of the local hospital trust and heard nothing from her. What I do in the meantime - grin and bear with the pain till I get an appointment? I had lot of support from local Hospice of the area, and they have been so good with pain management. I have a brother in Delhi who is a doctor. He has made extensive inquiries and has guaranteed me to get an MRI appointment within six weeks. However, there are lots of practical issues which cannot be ignored. I have written a long letter. What would you have done in my shoes?
I saw a private cardiologist at one of the major London heart hospitals. He charged around £250 for an initial consultation. Then he suggested that I get an NHS referral to him for subsequent tests etc.
I saw my GP who was happy to do the referral, and I got the scan pretty soon after. Privately it would have cost around £850. Since then I have been treated through the NHS at the same hospital
Hi Richard. Thank you for your reply. If you dont mind me asking, which London hospital was it? I live near London and had my CABG at the Royal Brompton which was an exceptionally good hospital (except for parking!).
Upright MRI cardiac scan?
Private CT scan for angina? 
Cancellation for an MRI scan. 
