Services

• Clinical consultations
• Echocardiograms
• Exercise Stress Echocardiograms
• Dobutamine Stress Echocardiograms
• Transoesophageal Echocardiograms
• CT Coronary Angiograms
• Electrocardiograms
• Holter monitoring
• 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Clinical Consultations

About Echocardiography

Echocardiography refers to ultrasound of the heart. 

Instructions for consultations only

  • For initial consultations, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire which will be sent to you ahead of time. Please complete this carefully and return preferably prior to your appointment. This will greatly assist in providing you the best of medical care.
  • For all consultations, please bring all current medications and a medication list. 

Echocardiograms, comprehensive resting

About Echocardiography

Echocardiography uses ultrasound to assess the structure and function of the heart. It has the particular advantage of not using radiation, so unlike other modalities of cardiac imaging it does not increase the risk of cancer. It also can be used on the body externally and when doing so, unlike other "invasive" modalities, it does not carry the risk of damaging the body internally. In cardiology this aspect of technology is referred to as being "non-invasive". 

Echocardiography can be performed at rest and also immediately after exercise (stress echocardiography)-see below. 

I provide both resting and stress echocardiography services through my practice. 

On occasion high resolution echocardiographic assessment of the base of the heart is needed and this can be achieved with imaging the heart with a specially designed echocardiography camera on the end of a flexible probe placed inside a person's oesophagus (the tube connecting to mouth to the stomach). This is done with local anaesthetic and with the patient placed under sedation. I provide this service utilising facilities at SydneyAdventistHospital.

Instructions for Echocardiograms only

For initial echocardiograms you will be asked to complete a questionnaire which will be sent to you ahead of time. 

Exercise Stress Echocardiograms

About Stress Echocardiography

Stress Echocardiography is an advanced type of stress testing. Stress testing allows detection of weaknesses in the heart that cannot be detected at rest. The information acquired from stress testing allows a cardiologist to work out: 

  • Whether a person's heart is healthy or not.

  • The likelihood of a particular person having a heart attack or dying from a heart disease.

  • Whether particular symptoms such as chest discomfort or shortness of breath are due to a heart condition or not.

  • What the best treatment for a particular heart condition is. This may involve medication, stenting or heart surgery.

The word "stress" has a different meaning to cardiologists than it does to other people. To cardiologists to "stress" the heart is to get it to do what it has been designed to do, i.e. deliver large amounts of blood to exercising muscles. The most common way this is done is with treadmill exercise. In stress testing the heart is then assessed in this exercising state.

ECG is electrocardiography i.e. the study of the heart' s electrical waves. With stress ECG, the old method of stress testing, the heart assessment is by ECG alone. With stress echocardiography, the assessment of the heart is done by echocardiography in addition to ECG. The information obtained by the echocardiography is more accurate and more useful than the information from the ECG. I provide a stress echocardiography serviced through my practice.

For people who have difficulty performing treadmill exercise, there is an alternative method of echocardiographic assessment of the heart in the exercise state. This involves stimulating a person’s heart with an adrenaline like substance called dobutamine. I also provide this service and do so in a hospital environment utilising facilities at SydneyAdventistHospital.

Instructions for Stress Echocardiograms only

 

There are two components. The first component is a comprehensive resting echocardiogram which will evaluate the entire heart including the heart valves. The second component is the stress component, evaluating the left ventricle (the main pumping chamber of the heart ) immediately before and immediately after treadmill exercise or pharmacological stress. Our usual practice is to perform the two components on separate days. The major reason for this is that patients having both components on the same day will receive only approximate half the rebate Medicare that they would if they had the components on separate days. Both components can be performed on the same day at the patient's request.

For the stress component please wear shoes and shorts with which it would be comfortable to walk on a treadmill.

General Instructions for all Tests and Consultations

  • Bookings essential, please phone 0487 6377
  • Please wear two-piece outfit to facilitate physical examination and testing.
  • Please bring referral and ensure it is not out of date, if in doubt please check with our staff in advance.
  • Payment (credit card, eftpos, cheque) at the time of consultation/testing is appreciated.
  • Please be aware that body lotions make use of the testing equipment difficult. Please wash it off any residual body lotion prior to your appointment.

  • What to bring:
    • Medicare / DVA card
    • Private health insurance card
    • Referral letter
    • Recent pathology and x-rays

Holter and Blood Pressure monitors

Instructions for Holter and Blood Pressure Monitors 

It is advised that you shower prior to attending to have the monitor attached as you will not be able to shower while wearing the monitor
(24 hours).