Shotgun electrocardiogram testing - is this common?

[Heather Conley]

My hematologist of more than a quarter century, other than having a soft touch for writing prescriptions to the wrong people (which is why he was shut down by the State) was one of the most decent and trusted people I knew with my health. I saw few other doctors during that time, who had treated me for (and cured) a life-threatening disease when I was a kid, and subsequently taken the role of my GP, so I don't really know what to think of some of the different rules which newer doctors play by.

I'm seeing a GP now who, other than being so young it's hard to believe they let him out of school, is very thorough, dedicated, listens to my whining, etc. What I don't get is that he doesn't seem to so much as own a stethoscope, but he did, without any cardiac complaints, order an electrocardiagram. I was wondering why he would run such a time-consuming, and expensive test (I am on prescriptions for thyroid and blood pressure, but they work - the blood pressure checked out fine), when the technician who ran the test informed me that he does this with everybody. Really? It cost me an extra $20 insurance copay for this, therefore I want to know if other doctors consider this shotgun electrocardiagram practice appropriate.

I am also curious about the apparent de-emphasis on stethoscope use (this wasn't the first GP who I had recently seen which didn't use one).

I would appreciate your thoughts on the above.

 

[Dr.Tran]

No, stethoscopes are still used as an essential assessment tool. Its quick, free, and can give a lot of information on hearing if there is fluid in the lungs or wheezing, or heart murmurs, or can catch a bowel obstruction or a bruit.

As for the ekg, that doc may want a baseline test for everyone, I'm not sure, or, he may want it for people over a certain age. Or maybe its because of the high blood pressure and he does it for people he feels are 'at risk'. Not sure, sorry.