So i had my scan not expecting much

[mikeydt1]

around 4 years ago i had a echocardiogram which took quite a while and showed a problem going on which for some reason never then got monitored.

fast forward and this morning i went back for another echocardiogram but within 5 minutes the person said it was all done, eh i did query but didn't get much of a reply and told to expect results within just over a week.

i get back home thinking about the scan and how short it was only to find out they had done a short one for some reason, normal is around 15 to 40 minutes so i guess in 5 minutes nothing much will show i some how feel a bit duped by what has happened.

just wondering if anyone else has been for one of these types of scans and how long did it last.

it does clearly state all over the net and NHS how long these take so why did mine only take around 5 minutes i am totally mystified.

in a way i want my doctor to be somehow wrong with his diagnoses of heart failure but at the same time i do need my issue sorting as something is getting worse.

[Kodiak]

If you check on the internet for how long a ECG takes then you will find conficting results depending on the web page. Some say 5 Minutes and some as much as 30 Minutes. Personally I take what is posted on web pages with a large pich of salt.

Over the past 2 Years I have had 3 Heart Attacks and I have lost count of the ECG's I have had. During that time each and every one has never lasted more than 5 or 6 minutes and that includes the fixing of sensors.

[mikeydt1]

this isn't an ecg it is an ultrasound with measurements of the heart and chambers and blood flow.

i found that the hospital where i go are only carrying out limited echo tests and not full ones probably to save time and money at what expense to us.

ecg is where they put various wires on your body this one i had done is completely different to that test.

the last echo one i had done was more intense which is why i was puzzled at how short it took to perform.

my ecg did show something which was carried out by my doctors but what i don't know at this stage.

[slipmaster]

your first one takes longer because they have to scan everything, on subsequent scans they only look for differences in the two.

[nukecad]

As slipmaster says it depends on if they are looking at everything or for something in particular.

Last echocardiogram I had, following my CA and stenting, took about 3 or 4 minutes.

The ultrasound I had for my gallbladder problem took longer at about 15 mins, but that was because they didn't know what was wrong so took a full look.

[mikeydt1]

the whole idea was to re-check a leaky heart valve and at the same time to check for a new condition HF i just don't think 5 minutes would be enough to show what was really going on.

i have since found out that it was only a limited echo and not a full one not sure who made this decision as it didn't come from my doctors who had requested it.

another person here also went to the same department and ended up having the limited scan as well and when he got the report there wasn't enough information to make a diagnoses.

to me i think the hospital are doing fast echo to save time or money.

for me it looks like i may be back to the drawing board but one thing i am going to inform my doctors about the situation.

i am a member of bhf and someone came back and said they had 2 echo and both took around 30 minutes each so there we go.

[nukecad]

to me i think the hospital are doing fast echo to save time or money.

Sounds likely.

If you get on OK with your GP I'd 'encourage' him/her to complain that the tests that were ordered were not done.

[mikeydt1]

i have since managed to get a message to my doctors.

i have also found out that limited scans should only really be done in follow up cases and something new should be full scans, in my case doctor was checking for something new but only had a short scan.

basically both are more or less the same but the short or limited scan has less images which can result in problems of not been able to diagnose correctly due to lack of images.

this is how fast mine was which raised concerns, my appointment was for 9.55 i got in exactly on time and was back out for just after 10am! this is why i question what was going on.

NHS leaflet given states around 15 to 40 minutes and my last one 4 years ago was about half an hour.

NHS sent me a text asking for user experience i didn't get long enough for any user experience