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Your doctor may need to refer you to other members of the healthcare team to carry out tests or procedures in a hospital setting. It may be helpful to understand who could be involved and what role they are likely to play:
General Practitioners (GPs)
Will most likely be your first point of contact, and your doctor will retain overall responsibility for providing any long-term care.
Cardiologists
Specialist doctors who are experts in the care of the heart, they may be involved in further tests to establish a firm diagnosis.
Electrophysiologists
Specialist doctors who focus on your heart’s electrical system and on diagnosing and treating irregular heartbeats or arrhythmias.
Cardiac Physiologists
Carry out cardiac tests, such as echocardiograms, ECGs, and blood pressure measurements. They may also work in the cath lab assisting the electrophysiologist.
Stroke Specialists
If your doctor thinks you are at high risk of stroke you may be referred to a Stroke specialist team to assess your risk further, and offer further medical advice and potential treatment.
Anaesthesiologists
Specialist doctors who will manage pain during and immediately after any surgery.
Resources
1. Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network (2016) Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 (GBD 2016) Results. Seattle, United States: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), 2017. Accessed 2018-04-20. Available from http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool. 2. Rienstra M, Lubitz SA, Mahida S, Magnani JW, Fontes JD et al. (2012) Symptoms and functional status of patients with atrial fibrillation: state of the art and future research opportunities. 3. Nieuwlaat R, Capucci A, Camm AJ, Olsson SB, Andresen D et al. (2005) Atrial fibrillation management: a prospective survey in ESC member countries: the Euro Heart Survey on Atrial Fibrillation. Eur Heart J 26 (22): 2422-2434. 4. Barry M (2012) Shared Decision Making — The Pinnacle of Patient-Centered Care N Engl J Med ; 366:780-781.
Disclaimer: The information featured here is not intended as medical advice, or to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment. Please talk to your doctor if you have any questions.
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