A Cardiologist will never accept the diagnosis , if a technician reports a ECG as normal in a patient with chest pain . . .
While , the same cardiologist gleefully accepts an echocardiogram done by a technician and treats the patient without verifying the veracity of the finding !
Why ?
Some where along the cardiology training , we have been made to believe Interpreting Echo Images does not require serious medical knowledge . . . but we strongly believe ECG cannot be read by technicians however well they are trained .(In-spite of the fact , Echo images are highly dependent on the person who does it , while ECG wave forms are totally independent of the person who record it ! )
ECG, still has a prestigious place in cardiologist’s mind , while Echo is often considered an inferior Investigation. Many of us consider ECG interpretation as a brainy work while Echo image acquisition and interpretation is perceived a dumb job* !
Lastly , probably most importantly , performing Echo is a time intensive process for the present day cardiologist who’s hands are tied with catheters and guide-wires .He has little time for the meanly echo . . . hence ready to compromise on the quality .
* With due respects to all non invasive cardiologists (That includes the author !)
Final message
I would think it is fundamentally inappropriate for technician to report Echocardiogram (Of-course they may record it ) . Unfortunately , for some reason this practice is continued in many parts of world .
Dr.S.Venkatesan MD 