BATON ROUGE CARDIOLOGY CENTER AT BATON ROUGE GENERAL MEDICAL CENTER

Your first visit with our medical staff will be with one of our nurses. She will weigh you and take your blood pressure. You will then be placed in an examination room for an EKG and possibly a chest x-ray. These tests provide important clinical information which will help the physician during the exam.

Before the EKG, you will be given a gown and then asked to disrobe above the waist. Electrodes will be put on each arm and leg and at six points on your chest. An EKG records the electrical activity of the heart. It is a painless test which determines the electrical conduction of the heart and the heart rhythm.

Your physician will examine you and then review with you the information which he and the nurse have obtained. The doctor will discuss any symptoms which you may be experiencing. At this time, he may recommend further testing to better evaluate your condition.

This organization supports the following Patient Bill of Rights:

The patient's right to the information concerning his or her diagnosis, treatment and prognosis; The organization's role concerning advance directives and the care of the terminally ill, especially regarding pain, symptom management, psychosocial and spiritual needs of the patient and his or her family; Reasonable access to care; Considerate (and respectful) care that respects the patient's personal value and belief systems; Informed participation in decisions regarding his or her care; Participation in the consideration of ethical issues that arise in the provision of his or her care; Personal privacy and confidentiality of information; Designation of a representative decision maker in the event that the patient is incapable of understanding a proposed treatment or procedure or is unable to communicate his or her wishes regarding care.