Frank H Gafford MD, FACC, FCCP

Our cardiac testing does not have additional charges such as facility fees. All stress testing is performed by the cardiologist (me) who is physically present in the testing room during the stress test so I can assess your symptoms and clinical cardiovascular status during the test. I interpret all EKG and echocardiographic imaging data and integrate the results into your clinical data base. The purpose of cardiac testing is to help decide if you have a cardiac problem; and, if you do, to provide information to help in its treatment. Our echocardiographic testing facilities are accredited by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.

I am working on some brief patient-centered articles to address basic issues on normal cardiac function and the various malfunctions that create cardiac disease. I feel the concepts you need to understand and cope with heart disease are fairly simple and can be readily understood by most people without any medical training. It does require precise communication and patience which takes time. Cardiology is basically a very straightforward discipline that involves pumps,val...ves, timing devices and fuel lines. The diagnostic and treatment technologies involved can be very complex, what counts is not how these devices work but what can they do to help you. When I was a 3rd year medical student, a famous physician, a Dr Tinsley Harrison, told us to listen to our patients carefully because they will give us a history that frequently makes their diagnosis or at least considerably narrows the possibilities down. Basic principles of physiology, logic, avoidance of bias and targeted testing will converge quickly to define most cardiac problems. Problems and topics I will try to address in the future will include: I have a weak heart; do I have CHF? What is the basic treatment of CHF. Will my stents wear out? What will the test you want to perform actually tell me? Is my blood pressure too high or too low? What is a-fib and what do we do about it? Bad word choices, "heart condition", you have __ years to live, "blood thinners"etc. Superfoods, magic bullet supplements. Medical research findings; what do they mean? Do the experiment (on yourself) rather than guess. What does a physical exam and an EKG tell about my coronary arteries? Cardiac risk factors in context. Know your medications and their purposes. Hanging on words. Why writing 10 questions to ask your doctor is silly. Worrisome symptoms of heart disease. Visit, use and be very pleasant to your primary care physician (PCP). I have a pet peeve about PCPs, so I am going to offer a little free advice. Here's a little tip about PCPs; they are not doctors you go see just if you have a "cold" or the "flu". They detect diseases early that can and will kill you or disable you if they aren't diagnosed in time. They will determine your risks for developing diseases and get you on a prevention track. They can tell you if you need to see a sub-specialist (like a cardiologist); and what type to see. By the way, internal medicine and family physicians ARE specialists; they do a 3 or 4 year residency after medical school graduation and they take board examinations they must pass to become certified. A good primary physician is a doctor you want to keep! With the progressing physician shortage a good PCP is getting harder to find. My PCPs over the years have saved my bacon more times than I can count--and I'm a physician who "theoretically" should be able to keep an eye on myself.