D
dbbrooks
The "Wimped Out" thread has fully explored the "Cath Experience".
I have a question whether both left and right caths were performed in your individual cases and whether the procedure went through the aortic valve for pressure gradient readings. My local card who performed the cath was more than a little huffy when I scratched out the "right" in the " perform right and left catheritization" on the consent form. He said he always did both. I had been told by my surgeon and a senior cardiologist at the Washington Hospital Center where my surgery would be performed that only the a left cath was needed to evaluate the coronary arteries and that no prolonged attempt would be made to pass through the valve since my echos had repeatedly confirmed the stenosis and its progression. They had indicated that passing the wires through a recalcitrant calcified aortic valve is not without risk of trigering an "event". The local cardiolgist belittled my representation of what the other docs had said, especially the fact that I said that the other card said "if the wires incidently went through the valve then a reading would be taken". Local card said that "incidently" never happens. He then went on to negotiate me into allowing several attempts to be made, then to cease if not succesful (Note to file: Never negotiate with a doctor while flat on your back, half naked, on his turf). He also found a need to announce to all of the cath lab staff that he was going to perform a limited cath at the patient's request.
The tight valve of course wasn't passed through in several tries. The procedure was a benign experience, only pain was associated with the pressure exerted for initial insertion and then when the angio-seal device was applied, again more pressure than pain. I completely missed out on th e "hot flash" from the contrast solution.... nothing felt as the dye injections were announced. Also to my knowledge, no happy drugs were used (or indicated on forms, reports, or bills).
Surgeon's bill for cath of $2,400 was whittled down to $470 by BCBS, of which I paid $47. Perhap's we know why "left and right" is his practice.
By the way, I later on at some site that was involved in monitoring health care quality, that the ratio of single caths to double caths performed is an indicator of health care quality at an institution, with the greater ratio of single caths the better the quality. Apparently right caths are indicated in far fewer instances than left caths and high levels of right & left caths indicate less diagnostic precision.
I have a question whether both left and right caths were performed in your individual cases and whether the procedure went through the aortic valve for pressure gradient readings. My local card who performed the cath was more than a little huffy when I scratched out the "right" in the " perform right and left catheritization" on the consent form. He said he always did both. I had been told by my surgeon and a senior cardiologist at the Washington Hospital Center where my surgery would be performed that only the a left cath was needed to evaluate the coronary arteries and that no prolonged attempt would be made to pass through the valve since my echos had repeatedly confirmed the stenosis and its progression. They had indicated that passing the wires through a recalcitrant calcified aortic valve is not without risk of trigering an "event". The local cardiolgist belittled my representation of what the other docs had said, especially the fact that I said that the other card said "if the wires incidently went through the valve then a reading would be taken". Local card said that "incidently" never happens. He then went on to negotiate me into allowing several attempts to be made, then to cease if not succesful (Note to file: Never negotiate with a doctor while flat on your back, half naked, on his turf). He also found a need to announce to all of the cath lab staff that he was going to perform a limited cath at the patient's request.
The tight valve of course wasn't passed through in several tries. The procedure was a benign experience, only pain was associated with the pressure exerted for initial insertion and then when the angio-seal device was applied, again more pressure than pain. I completely missed out on th e "hot flash" from the contrast solution.... nothing felt as the dye injections were announced. Also to my knowledge, no happy drugs were used (or indicated on forms, reports, or bills).
Surgeon's bill for cath of $2,400 was whittled down to $470 by BCBS, of which I paid $47. Perhap's we know why "left and right" is his practice.
By the way, I later on at some site that was involved in monitoring health care quality, that the ratio of single caths to double caths performed is an indicator of health care quality at an institution, with the greater ratio of single caths the better the quality. Apparently right caths are indicated in far fewer instances than left caths and high levels of right & left caths indicate less diagnostic precision.
