Cardiologist Office Procedure questions

[boheka]

Went for a heart stress test. After I'm hooked up to the machine a woman comes into the room to gives me the test. She doesn't introduce herself other than telling me her name. I don't know what her credentials are. She gives me the test then tells me about a minor negative reading and recommends I have Nuclear stress test. She does not consult with the cardiologist. I find this odd but don't want to question her. Shouldn't the cardiologist see the results and make the recommendation?

I call the cardiologist's office the next day to request that the cardiologist look at my test results and call me. The woman who answers the phone pauses. She seems confused. She tells me the woman who gave me the test is a nurse. I tell her I simply want to discuss the results with the cardiologist. She still seems bothered by this request. I spell it out for her. I WANT TO TALK TO THE CARDIOLOGIST. Doesn't he talk to his patients? She says she'll have him call me. Is this so unusual? We're talking about my heart - not a zit.

I want to change doctors. Do I have to take stress the test again or will a new Dr. accept the other test results? Are my above complaints legit or is that standard procedure? Shouldn't a Dr. tell me the results?

The Dr. Called me back but I missed his call - so I have not discussed this with him yet.

[skydnsr]

Maybe it was some kind of nurse practitioner who has more authority than the usual nurse.  She still should have introduced herself, made you aware of her qualifications, and made sure you were okay with going ahead, before she proceeded.  Poor communication, at the very least.  There may or may not have been a medical problem, but there was definitely a communication problem.  It's really not hard to take care of that in the first 60 seconds of the appointment.

As far as changing doctors, have you ever even met this cardiologist?  If so, then you either like him or you don't.  If not, then maybe you should at least meet with him for an appointment and give him a chance.  If you do change cardiologists, then yes, another cardiologist should be able to review the report of this stress test and use the results.

[kenkeith]

Usually, a doctor is on site to be available if the stress test causes an adverse medical problem.  And there is a tech that conducts the test and together with the doctor they view an EKG reading as the test progresses. That has been my experience.  

A nuclear stress test measures blood flow to your heart muscle both at rest and during stress on the heart. It's performed similar to a routine exercise stress test, but provides images that can show areas of low blood flow through the heart and areas of damaged heart muscle.

A nuclear stress test usually involves taking two sets of images of your heart — one set during an exercise stress test while you're exercising on a treadmill or stationary bike, or with medication that stresses your heart, and another while you're at rest. A nuclear stress test is used to gather information about how well your heart works during physical activity and at rest.

I ask and receive a written report of the reuslts a week or so later.  The cardiologist reviews the results and dictates the results for a written report for the chart.