# Taking dad to cardiologist for 1st time. What questions should I ask? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-dad-to-cardiologist-for-1st-time-what-questions-should-i-ask/614140 "2012-02-27T12:46:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-dad-to-cardiologist-for-1st-time-what-questions-should-i-ask/614140/1 "2012-02-27T12:46:33Z")
Dad was supposed to have knee surgery but in the pre-op work up they discover he had had a recent heart attack. His response? “Yeah, I think it may have been last Thursday. I took an aspirin and took a nap.”. :smack: So I am going with him to make sure I get the proper information because Dad isn’t capable of taking it in and relaying it to us. What questions should I ask? Tests that I am aware of are nuclear stress test and EKG. ---
**Author:** ![Corcaigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Corcaigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corcaigh)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-dad-to-cardiologist-for-1st-time-what-questions-should-i-ask/614140/2 "2012-02-27T14:45:08Z")
The cardiologist should fill you in on the details of what happened, how to prevent it happening again and what steps to take should an arrest occur again. going from memory of my father visiting a cardiologist many years ago… I don’t recall asking many if any questions after. Hope your dad is okay now ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-dad-to-cardiologist-for-1st-time-what-questions-should-i-ask/614140/3 "2012-02-27T17:16:02Z")
IMO, the discussion should center on when it will be safe(st) for your father to have his knee operation and what delay he’ll now face regarding that surgery. Further, you will want to know what additional delay would be entailed should he require things like coronary angioplasty and stenting (and the requisite “blood thinners” likely needed after such procedures). ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-dad-to-cardiologist-for-1st-time-what-questions-should-i-ask/614140/4 "2012-02-27T17:44:04Z")
If they can confirm his heart attack, more than likely they’ll forgo the stress test and recommend he go in for a catheterization right away. If they find a blockage, they’ll put the stent in at that time. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-dad-to-cardiologist-for-1st-time-what-questions-should-i-ask/614140/5 "2012-02-27T18:20:27Z")
> [@Shark\_Sandwich](#): > > If they can confirm his heart attack, more than likely they’ll forgo the stress test and recommend he go in for a catheterization right away. If they find a blockage, they’ll put the stent in at that time. Possibly, although if it was a non-ST segment elevation MI, and her dad is “elderly”, expectant management is backed by evidence. Going that route (i.e. conservative management) would also eliminate the minimum three month ‘no surgery, no surgical procedures’ post stenting (due to the intensive antiplatelet therapy that would be needed afterward). ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-dad-to-cardiologist-for-1st-time-what-questions-should-i-ask/614140/6 "2012-02-27T18:36:16Z")
The FIRST question out of the cardiologist’s mouth will most likely be: Do you smoke tobacco? If Dad is a smoker, the BEST thing he can do for all aspects of his health is to QUIT. There will probably be discussion of an angiogram/angioplasty/stent/bypass. Pay close attention to any mention of diet and medication. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-dad-to-cardiologist-for-1st-time-what-questions-should-i-ask/614140/7 "2012-02-27T18:48:03Z")
IANAD!!! In my non-professional opinion, the very least they should do is a stress test - the kind where they induce cardiac stress and inject him with technetium to image his heart. This will show the amount of damage from the heart attack and give you an idea of where the blockage(s) is/are and how bad they are. They may also want to do a catheterization but do some research on that because last I read, many of these procedures are unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-dad-to-cardiologist-for-1st-time-what-questions-should-i-ask/614140/8 "2012-02-28T02:08:57Z")
Advice is best suited to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator