Anyone have an abnormal ECG on Cat 1?

[PanEuropean]

Guys:

I once was told by a physician (not a lab tech) who did my ECG in Switzerland to not drink coffee for 24 hours prior to getting the ECG - seems that the caffene (or, perhaps, too much caffene) can mess up the results. I had a funny reading on my ECG, he told me to come back in 24 hours for another one and to not drink coffee in the meantime. The next day, the ECG was fine.


In Europe, the Medical Examiner interprets the ECG right on the spot, so they can ask about anything that might have an effect on the recording (trans-atlantic travel the night before, lack of sleep, too much coffee, etc.). In Canada, we typically go to a lab and get it done by a technician, then it is sent off to be read by a physician who might not be our AME.

For what it's worth...

Michael

[mcrit]

An abnormal ECG is not the kiss of death. I work with a fellow that has had one. He had access to a very good cardiologist at DCIEM, went to see him, had a ticker tape done, and got the all clear.
I had an abnormal one, mind you (as I found out later) the Doc that administered it had a reputation for being a bit shoddy. She sits me down in her office to go over the results. She starts talking about strokes and zapping neurons in my sinus node with microwaves. I ask her about getting back to flying. She looks at me gravely and makes no answer. Her parting comment was, "I'm sending you over to Dr. ****** so he can counsel you and devise a course of treatment". Luckily, the doctor she was sending me to was the fellow I mentioned in the first paragraph, he was just across the street, and he had nothing booked that afternoon.
I sit down in his office and hand over my file, along with Dr #1's note. He reads it over while I check out his walls. They are very impressive walls. One is covered with lots of certificates. Some of them are written in Latin. You just have to trust a guy that hangs Latin on his walls. The other wall is full of pictures. Pictures of the good doctor with generals. Pictures of the good doctor with Prime Ministers. Pictures of the good doctor with astronauts.
So, when this doctor starts talking about threading a radio ablative catheter up my femoral artery, into my aorta and then nuking some nerves, he has my full attention. He completely distracts me from the smoking hole of my career. He finishes off by saying, "Let's just grab another ECG, so I can have a good look for myself."
With that he hands me, and my file off to his tech. The tech has me on the table and has just finished sandpapering (I shit you not) the areas where the electrodes go when he opens my file. Sitting at the very top is the offending ECG, the one that started this whole blessed chain of events. The tech looks at it, raises an eyebrow, looks at me. He looks back at the ECG, then he looks at me and asks, "Dr Seus (not her real name) ran this on you?". I confirmed that that was indeed the case. With that, the tech turned towards the main office and calls back to Dr Awesomewalls, "Sir, it looks like she did it again."
The good doctor comes out, looks at the ECG, looks at me (half naked & sandpapered but feeling irrationally hopeful), looks at the ECG and says, "Dr Seus seems to have put the leads in the wrong place. You're fine." <- I looked kinda like this at that point.
Long story short? Don't get too worked up about an ECG.

[IFRATC]

I too had an abnormal ECG in my early twenties. This after years of military flying/ medicals. Also, I had been to DCIEM only a few years prior running through the guantlet of tests that they perform without ANY issues.
Needless to say, I was sent for a stress test AND ultrasound of the heart. Absolutely nothing wrong. It has been almost twenty years since that "scare'. i have never had an issue with my ECG since. As a side note though. That incident has made me very nervous for every medical since. I try to go in as calm and relaxed as possible but, that scare is always in the back of my mind. Good luck. I am sure it is nothing at all.

IFRATC

[grimey]

Unfortunately not all RAMOs are as understanding as JD. Our current guy (Pacific) made a statement that just about floored me. Sez he, "My job is to cover my boss's ass so that he doesn't have to explain when you guys crash your little airplanes into school yards filled with little kids!". I now have an unrestricted Class 3 medical again.

The solution is not to give rich doctors medicals, then they can't spend 5 hours a year flying their planes into schoolyards.

As for me... While getting my initial FSS medical, the CAME asks me if I have any cardiovascular issues. I tell him I had a heart attack at age 4 months resulting from Kawasaki's disease, and that I have blockages (100 and 60 percent) in 2 coronary arteries, but that I'd been functioning fine for 27 years since. He declined to do a ECG, and passed me. WTF, over? He check my pulse, noted my heartbeat was irregular, and stamped the form.

I've a feeling I would have failed if I'd shown him my old one:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 29/?page=3

[DanWEC]

As an update- The TC cardio specialist has reviewed my file and now requires a stress test as the next step. It's booked for this coming Wednesday. Small possibility I have Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

[orange4]

Just got my ECG done today. It was a computer diagnosis of "biatrial enlargement" "pulminary disease pattern" "Incomplete right bundle branch block" "abnormal ECG".

Gave me a heart attack!

So glad this forum is here. I'm fit, slim and had a normal ECG a couple of years ago including a 24 hour monitor that came up clear. I was being screened for a possible kidney donation for my mom. I wasn't a match but she got one a few months later, luckily.

I drank coffee a couple of hours before the appointment which I shouldn't have done.Doctor did say it could be a mistake but if so I'd rather not have that in my files. Going to my doctor tomorrow to sort it out.

Hopefully will remember to report back on results.

[cncpc]

Beautiful post Old Dog, thanks!

Dan,

All my ECG's have been showing two light abnormalities for all of my life. I am born like that. I've held a Class I since 1969, now 58 year old and I feel great.

Good luck and don't let your dream slip away.

Giles

Yeah, I have something like that. Says abnormal ECG. Has for years. Something to do with a signal passing from atrium to ventricle and its a tiny bit slow or fast, I can't remember. So abnormal but not disqualifying.

[cncpc]

Unfortunately not all RAMOs are as understanding as JD. Our current guy (Pacific) made a statement that just about floored me. Sez he, "My job is to cover my boss's ass so that he doesn't have to explain when you guys crash your little airplanes into school yards filled with little kids!". I now have an unrestricted Class 3 medical again.

The solution is not to give rich doctors medicals, then they can't spend 5 hours a year flying their planes into schoolyards.

As for me... While getting my initial FSS medical, the CAME asks me if I have any cardiovascular issues. I tell him I had a heart attack at age 4 months resulting from Kawasaki's disease, and that I have blockages (100 and 60 percent) in 2 coronary arteries, but that I'd been functioning fine for 27 years since. He declined to do a ECG, and passed me. WTF, over? He check my pulse, noted my heartbeat was irregular, and stamped the form.

I've a feeling I would have failed if I'd shown him my old one:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 29/?page=3

Danforth is great, the Vancouver guy is a problem.

[KenoraPilot]

Yeah had an issue, but with further investigation (requested by TC) I was cleared, and just required to do EEG/ECG annually for 5 years. Never had my CAT 1 taken (just asked for more investigation).

[orange4]

Apparently I do seem to have an "incomplete right bundle branch block" but they are common and usually benign. It even says in the med guide:

Bundle Branch Block

Left bundle branch block and right bundle branch block of recent onset, indicate the need for a cardiovascular examination to rule out heart disease, especially ischemic heart disease. Isolated right bundle branch block and left hemiblocks that are longstanding are generally benign.

I may even have shown up in my initial. Now I'm curious.

[Stretcher]

On my initial Cat 1, TC required that I complete a stress test. I had a second ECG completed by the cardiologist that completed the stress test and he didn't see any of the issues that TC did. I had a bad cough/cold in the days leading up to my initial ECG. Me being young and dumb I didn't think it would effect anything. Have a unhealthy meal with coffee before the ECG and chances are TC will knock.

[Spokes]

When I had my last ECG, the doctor said that if i was having a heart attack that's is what my ecg would look like. As wih others here, I am fit and healthy. Haven't heard anything from TC.

[bring me the horizon]

Just recently I went to do my Cat 1. Since I just turned 30, it'll be the first ECG in almost 10 years. I go in with a good state of mind and lay down on the table as the CAME puts the electrodes on me. Slow, deep breathes and 20 seconds later it's over. Apparently I have an enlarged aorta something or other. Well that scared the S#!T out of me! So now I have to get a referral from a new doctor (I just moved), make an appointment with a cardiologist and run a stress test all to find out that not only was I 100% healthy and that the cardiologist figured that the CAME reversed a couple leads off the electrodes (giving me the abnormal ECG) but to find out that the TC Civil Aviation Medicine office cleared me weeks before my stress test...

[P180]

I too had an abnormal ECG in my early twenties. This after years of military flying/ medicals. Also, I had been to DCIEM only a few years prior running through the guantlet of tests that they perform without ANY issues.
Needless to say, I was sent for a stress test AND ultrasound of the heart. Absolutely nothing wrong. It has been almost twenty years since that "scare'. i have never had an issue with my ECG since. As a side note though. That incident has made me very nervous for every medical since. I try to go in as calm and relaxed as possible but, that scare is always in the back of my mind. Good luck. I am sure it is nothing at all.

IFRATC

I had the something done to me went through all the tests and found nothing but it was good for me to find out.But the hard thing was waiting up to the tests.

[EGW]

I too had a “questionable wave pattern” according to TC on my first ever cat 1 medical. I was told by the AME that it was normal for a young healthy person to have an ‘abnormal’ pattern. However, when he signed it off and sent it away to TC whoever looked it over there wasn’t satisfied and requested I do some additional tests to ensure my heart was okay. This worried me because I had a deadline to get my medical and prove to my school that I was fit to fly. It took a few months to even get in to see a specialist, where I was required to have a cardiac stress tests and echo (imaging). Long story short, all was normal with my heart I was quickly granted category 1 medical. TC (Civil Aviation Medicine) was very helpful every time I called with questions, I was never put on hold for more that a minute, and they were always very friendly. They put a rush on my file knowing that I had a deadline for school and as soon as my heart tests were done they had a doctor look over the results and mailed me my certificate within a few days. So if this happens to anyone, don’t worry, it’s probably nothing, and don’t hesitate to call TC with any questions. Good luck!