First class med EKG question...

[Pappy Boyington]

Hey guys (& gals),

As a pilot reaching the age where the EKG becomes a yearly ritual, I am faced with two choices:

1) Show up at the AMEs office every year and say: "OK doc, hook me up." And let him instantly fax the results to OKC.

-OR-

2) Go to an outside doc for the exam first, then take the results to the AME for the rest of the Class I.

It seems to me that the second method would be the way to go, especially if the chart showed any abnormality- whether caused by an ill-fitting electrode, or (heaven forbid) something were actually wrong physically.

I've flown with some guys in the past who said they went with an outside doc first, but I didn't pay any heed as I was a much younger chap then. Now, all the guys I fly with are younger than me, so I turn to this wonderful message board for a little advice.

I suppose the follow-up question would be: How do you go about finding an "outside" doc you can work with. Use a specialist? GP? Someone who knows what the FAA is looking for, I would guess. I know there is Leftseat.com, but I think that it's for people who are already in a bind and looking to get recertified (I could be wrong). I'm looking more for someone I can go to down the road as I accumulate more grey hairs. Any advice from the 40 and over flying club would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance. Pap.

 

[EagleRJ]

I haven't reached "the age" yet, but I don't think outside EKG results can be used by your AME, can they? I know it's nerve-wracking to have the results beamed directly to OKC, but I think that's the only way.

 

[avbug]

Your post isn't very clear on your intentions. If I understand you correctly, you hope to obtain an EKG from a doctor or facility other than your AME, and use this in place of an EKG taken by your AME.

Alternately, you may have been referring to taking a "practice" EKG at a different facility before taking the EKG with your medical examiner (AME). I suspect from your post you were referring to pargraph A above...you want to use an outside EKG for your first class medical certificate.

When you take the EKG, it's transmitted from the AME's office in real time to Oklahoma City. If the FAA were willing to let you parcel out your medical exam, why not let you take a hearing test elsewhere and bring it in? An eye test someplace else? Why not parcel out the whole thing and let the AME sign it off?

Your EKG is performed in the doctor's office real time. You're always welcome to visit a doctor in advance to get an asessment of your EKG status; have him look at it and determine if there appears to be any anomoly that might cause you any problems. If you have any concerns, that's only prudent. But don't plan on substituting the exam for one in the AME's office.

 

[mobie]

My AME is also a line pilot for my airline (has been doing 1st class for years) he will run a "test" EKG before sending it to OAK City. Does not give any breaks, but will let you know what to expect if he does send it in.

Mobie

 

[Erlanger]

Usually the doctor will run a test 1st. to make sure it comes out right, but about 2 years ago my EKG showed a slight abnormality that my doctor didn't catch nor did the FAA when I took the test. I got a letter from the FAA about a month later and they gave me 30 days to get another EKG. As you could imagine, I was worried and couldn't believe that I could have problems in the year since the last one. I called my doctor and he looked over the results and couldn't believe he had missed it. Sure enough it was either a transmission error or he just didn't hooked up the probes correctly, but the EKG retest showed me to have no problems and I never heard from the FAA again and have had 2 EKG's since, all good. But it was a scare for a day or two before I got retested.

 

[Kingairrick]

What Mobie said. Try to find one of those AMEs. I've got a name in Tampa if you need it (PM for obvious reasons.)

 

[B GUMPS]

I got my first reuired one when I turned 35. I took it right there in the AMEs office during the medical exam, no big deal at all. If you are in decent health you should have nothing to be concerned about. I am glad though that I dont need another one until Im 40.

 

[mar]

Worried about nothing!

Nah, you guys got it all wrong!

The purpose of regular EKGs is to see if you're lying on your medical application.

The first EKG (at 35) simply establishes a "baseline". It's used as the "standard" or "control" since it's highly unlikey that you've suffered a heart attack when you're younger than 40.

After that, if you have indeed suffered a heart attack then there will be damage to your heart tissue and that will be reflected in the pattern of the EKG.

I suppose they could just ask but how many truthful answers would they get?

The reason why they take a "practice" EKG before sending in the official one is (as alluded to by Erlanger) to test the equipment--not your heart.

If you've never suffered a heart attack and have no other cardiac problems (e.g. arrhythmia, etc.) then there is absolutley nothing to be worried about.

 

[rumpletumbler]

An EKG is mostly worthless. If you were having a heart attack during the test it would show abnormal....otherwise don't worry about it. Its like an emmissions test for cars only for people. Just another way to collect a dollar.

 

[Spooky 1]

I tend to agree that the EKG is almost worthless for predicting a heart condition. I actually had a friend that died from a heart attack the same day he had taken his 1st Class physical and EKG which of course he had passed with flying colors. I also agree that the greatest risk is from an improper application of the hookup.

Seems like I recall my AME sending the EKG down to UCLA med center prior to it's deleivery to the FAA. A seemless transmission but something that they could look at at push the stop button before it went all the way through to OKC?

 

[Axel]

Advice straight to you, through me, from the best AME ever (IMHO)

If you have a concern, go to a cardiac specialist and get a complete workup. If a problem is found, deal with the problem immediately and completely. Once that is done, and before you go to your physical, have the heart doc contact the AME. When you go to take your flight physical, you will have the problem and solution completely documented. There will be some tough questions, but they will all have answers.

If the problem is discovered at the physical and a medical is denied it is much more difficult and time consuming to have your medical certificate reinstated.

This is applicable to ALL disqualifying conditions. An example was given of kidney stones. Poor guy had them, got them fixed, then went to the physical and reported it on the bottom of the sheet ("doctor visits" in past 3 years). He thought it was OK because the problem was fixed. Not so. Medical denied then a bureaucratic nightmare for reinstatement. According to the best AME ever, had the kidney doc and he spoken prior to the flight physical, the medical certificate would have been issued, all the documentation would have been submitted to OKC with the application for the medical and the guy could have kept flying while OKC looked at the case.

 

[empenage]

Ahhh....The ECG.

Soon, every six months, you will be one medical away from a career change.