Patient
Information
How to Book
To arrange an appointment with one of our Cardiologists please contact us by calling our office on (02) 9223 7911 or by submitting our enquiry form.
We appreciate that many people are busy or must travel long distances, so we will try to be as flexible as possible when booking your appointment.
Bligh Cardiology is a private specialist practice and as such there are fees for services including consultations and testing. Concessions are available for patients facing financial difficulties. Bulk billing is available for eligible patients including healthcare workers, students and those requested by their GPs because of individual circumstances. If you wish to claim for Medicare rebate, a valid GP or specialist referral is required.
Consultation Process
Preparing for our visit
Arrive to our clinic 10-15 minutes before your scheduled appointment to allow enough time for us to obtain information we may require from you before your consultation. We recommend wearing a comfortable shirt that is easy to remove for clinical examinations and tests. Depending on your testing requirements, our team will also advise if you should bring clothing suitable for light-to-moderate exercise.
Cardiologist Consultation
60 - 90 mins
Your appointment will commence by seeing one of our Cardiologists to discuss your symptoms or concerns and have a physical examination. During testing you will be supervised by the doctor and may also be examined by a cardiac sonographer who will monitor your heart rate and blood pressure. When all the testing is complete, the cardiologist will review the results with you and recommend what other advanced testing would be advisable – please learn more about Our Services here.
Further Testing
Reporting
FAQs
An echocardiogram is a detailed static examination of the four chambers of the heart. During the exam, ultrasound waves from a hand-held probe create pictures of the heart’s valves and chambers to evaluate how the heart is beating and pumping.
During a resting echo, the patient is simply at rest and not exerting any additional energy to usual. The patient can wear normal clothing, and does not require NPO status (‘nothing by mouth’, detailed below). This test may take approximately 60 minutes.
During a stress echo, the patient performs light-moderate exercise, and should wear appropriate clothing for exercise. The patient requires NPO status, where they are asked to refrain from eating or drinking anything (except water) for 3-4 hours prior to the test. Patients on beta-blockers (a treatment for hypertension and coronary artery disease) are asked to not take their medication the day of the procedure. This test may take approximately 90 minutes.
