Jeanine, "a Cardiac Plumber and Electrician!" I love it!

Reading your posts I feel like the cat who ate the mouse! I had been seeing an interventional Cardiologist for a couple of years before I switched to an EP! First time I met him he listened and then pulled a device out of his pocket and said You need one of these! I was sent to the hospital a few days later and within two weeks had a biventricular defibrillator and pacemaker implanted! I just recently found out that my EP was an electrical engineer before he went to medical school and became an EP! So I have a Cardiac Plumber and Electrician! I am very pleased with this arrangement! My diagnosis is CHF and Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy…I presented initially with an EF of 10-15% at an emergency hospital admission and was worked up there! My EF is now at 60% after medications and the ICD! I think it helped that I was already seeing a “plumber” when he became aware of the AFib ! They are in the same practice although at different locations so the transition was seamless to the Electrician! I came to him armed with a recent hospitalization a stress test…Negative Cardiac Catheterization…and every other test that can be run!

My first cardiologist was a stubborn plumber but I needed a skilled electrician. After doing nuke stress test, sonogram, scans and Afib monitor he wanted to continue testing. The only problem all these tests showed was daily Afib 50% of the time. I asked what in these tests indicated a need for further testing. His answer … my age. I’ll be old next year but want to get there without Afib and put off further testing until if or when needed. He never accepted this and contributed to 2 Ablation delays before I dismissed him.

I did end up with a successful outcome and 2 great heart docs. All these plumbing tests had previously been done in 2010 & 2016 with a general physical. All 3 tests showed no problems. Every electrical test confirmed Afib. In retrospect I would have gone directly to the electrophoresis, done only the Afib tests and been done with this six months earlier. Alternatively I would have dismissed the first cardio doc when I started with the electrician and done three months earlier.

My body, my choice.

I have a cardiologist who checks the pacemaker/defliberator and then I have a heart transplant Cardiologist and then I have a Cardiothoraic Doctor who checks my mitro valve. I love all three of them.

Cliff Its an issue thats a little bit deeper then generalizations and the answer is an 3. "Electrophysiologist" (from your Yale Link) typically one seems the PCP because Insurances expect you to be referred By someone who knows something , the pcp Might or might have very little clue beyond as to simple heart function so he might refer you to a cardiologist who specifically studies all heart function but These days thanks to growing Issues with Afib affecting so many more and the process of "Ablation" being a complex procedurally a cardiolgist specializes within his specialty to focus on the anatomy of the hearts electrical system and how "they " can control when it gets out of control ... its outgrown a plain old style "cardiology" education ,,, I Very much wish I didnt have to see as many people as I see or for that matter have seen in the past for my issues.... 2 Cardio Thoracic , 4 interventional cardiologists, 4 cardiovascular surgeons.... I fired a couple early on and I've been quite happy with the others still with me or not