Must Do's/Don'ts for 1st time cardiac workup

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Hi everyone, mid 40's was referred to cardiologist for mild chest discomfort (lingering for months now) by PCP. Normal EKG, I run daily, no correlation of discomfort to exercise intensity, no SOB

Is there anything I MUST do (or avoid) testing wise with the cardiologist at this point?

And fingers crossed if the test(s) are clean can I avoid special issuance hell?
 
Assuming they're going to do a stress test, make sure you understand what kind and what the prep instructions are, and that they make sense to you. I was scheduled for normal treadmill test, but given instructions for the nuclear test, which includes fasting. Did not go well.
 
Anonymous said:
Hi everyone, mid 40's was referred to cardiologist for mild chest discomfort (lingering for months now) by PCP. Normal EKG, I run daily, no correlation of discomfort to exercise intensity, no SOB

Is there anything I MUST do (or avoid) testing wise with the cardiologist at this point?

And fingers crossed if the test(s) are clean can I avoid special issuance hell?
Click to expand...
With regards to your medical, let the doc know you are a pilot and that for your medical recertification you will need copies of all the images as well as the reports. That means if he does an EKG, you need those.. If you do a stress test, you need the actual images (usually on a CD). If you end up getting a heart cath, you need those actual images (usually on a CD). Let him know that if you come out "clean" (i.e. your symptoms are not of cardiac origin) you will likely need a letter from him stating the particulars.

Your AME should be able to tell you what you need and what it needs to say, but having all of this data/images NOW, and a letter NOW.. will save you time and hassle later when its time to get your medical renewed (and possibly obtain a special issuance, if there IS a problem).

As others on here will surely mention, Dr Chien is an excellent resource on this as well as other medical issues... but.. the most important thing is to focus on your health first and your medical second.
 
The first thing to do is find a certified heart specialist , get a complete work up and worry about flying after that. Relying on the Internet for heart advice is absurd. " first things first."
 
Of course I'm not asking for medical advice, getting checked out is not in question. Let me phrase my question this way, I would greatly appreciate if Dr. Bruce could chime in -

1) If cardiologist says GTFO you're perfectly healthy and doesn't order any tests other than an EKG, what's the minimum an AME needs to issue a 3rd class at this point (without special issuance) since I'll have to report the visit for "unknown chest discomfort?" Is there a minimum level of testing I have to demand?

Thanks for your help everyone!
 
Stress treadmill to 9 minutes on the Bruce protocol and to your 90% Vmax heart rate (didn't say how old you were). Be really certain to make BOTH targets or FAA will say, "insufficient test".
Fasting glucose, Lipid profile
Evaulation visit by a cardiologist.
 
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