Medical investigations — South Canterbury

To contact the Medical Investigations Unit at Timaru Hospital: 

• phone: 03 687 2233
• phone (MIU nurse or technician): 03 687 2758

The unit is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

When you arrive at the hospital for a test, you must first report to reception at the main entrance.

Within the unit, we perform the following diagnostic tests:

• resting electrocardiograph (ECG)
• exercise tolerance test (ETT or exercise ECG)
• spirometry (a basic lung function test)
• pulmonary function testing (a specialised lung function test)
• Holter monitoring (24-hour ECG recording)
• event monitoring (a heart monitor worn for a week or more)
• blood pressure monitoring
• Doppler ultrasound and ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) — testing the arterial blood supply in the legs
• exercise ABPI (Doppler before and after exercise)
• echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) — currently, echocardiography is done in the Radiology Department
• stress echocardiogram (echocardiography done before and after exercise).

Appointments are by referral only.

You can be referred directly to the unit by your general practitioner for:

• resting ECG
• exercise stress testing
• spirometry
• blood pressure monitoring
• Doppler ultrasound.

You must be referred to the unit by a specialist hospital doctor for:

• pulmonary function testing
• Holter monitoring
• event monitoring
• exercise ABPI
• echocardiogram.

Your general practitioner can write to the specialist doctor to request these tests. If approved, the referral is sent to the MIU for booking.

Urgent tests can be requested by calling and talking to staff.