Flattened T waves on EKG
I'm scheduled for minor surgery on Thursday and needed medical clearance. I went to my primary physician and got an electrocardiogram among other things. And they wouldn't clear me because they saw flattened T waves on the EKG. Not only did I have to find a cardiologist in a hurry, but now I was worried about both the possibility of an abnormality that would postpone or prevent the surgery and the possibility of an undiagnosed cardiac-circulatory condition.
I went to the cardiologist yesterday and while he also saw the T waves and called it an abnormality on the EKG, he wouldn't answer my questions about how serious it was. Now I was really worried. Did I have myocardial ischemia? Was I days away from my first heart attack? What was it?
Plus I was now less than 72 hours away from surgery without clearance and I didn't want to cancel the date for fear of how long I would have to wait to get another slot, with (you guessed it!) another examination for clearance.
The cardiologist told me I needed a stress test to settle the matter. I was fortunate to get one early this morning.
Long story short: I passed with flying colors, with 80% of my heart being utilized at maximum level. (They don't push you beyond that point.) It was explained to me that sometimes the T waves appear flat because of dense breast tissue that muffles the heart sounds. The stress test puts your heart at a full gallop so to speak and is more definitive than the resting EKG.
So off I go to surgery in 36 hours, I don't have a chronic cardiac condition, and I'm relieved.
= new reply since forum marked as read
They never see a strip they like. Don't let it worry you. Good luck with your surgery.
