Cardiology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the heart as well as parts of the circulatory system.
This includes diagnosis and treatment of heart defects, diseases which affect the heart and heart failure such as:
Cardiology
- Coronary artery disease
- Electrophysiology
- Heart failure
- Valvular heart disease
Resting ECG, Stress ECG, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring and Holter monitoring are also carried out at our Outpatients department.
ECG
ECG Monitoring is done to measure the level of electrical activity and rhythm of one’s heart. It’s a test that records the electrical activity of your heart through small electrode patches that a technician attaches to the skin of your chest, arms, and legs.
ECGs are quick, safe, and painless. With this test, your doctor will be able to:
- Check on things that are abnormal, such as thickened heart muscle
- Check your heart rhythm
- Diagnose a heart attack
- See if you have poor blood flow to your heart muscle
Before an ECG, you may have your hair shaved or skin cleaned so the electrodes stick on your body properly. Also, if you are wearing an underwire bra, you might be asked to take it off as it could affect the readings of the ECG.
Stress ECG
A stress test can determine your risk of having heart disease. A doctor or trained technician performs the test. The doctor will learn how much your heart can manage before an abnormal rhythm starts or blood flow to your heart muscle drops. There are different types of these.
The exercise stress test — also known as an exercise electrocardiogram, treadmill test, graded exercise test, or stress EKG — is used most often. You’ll walk on a treadmill or pedal a stationary bike. It’ll get more difficult as you go.
Your electrocardiogram, heart rate, and blood pressure will be tracked throughout and it lets your doctor know how your heart responds to being pushed.
Imaging Techniques
Cardiac Ultrasound
Cardiac ultrasound, also known as echocardiography, concerns the ultrasound imaging of the heart. It is an effective long-established technology for heart imaging that is used for the heart along with CT and MRI scans. It is ideal to evaluate the function and efficiency of your cardiac output
You may benefit from this if you’ve experienced unexplained chest or upper arm pain, a heart murmur, a heart attack, a heart defect, and/or a history of heart disease, though there are many possible reasons that your doctor may want to evaluate your heart health.
Cardiac MRI
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves and a computer to produce detailed pictures of the structures within and around the heart.
Cardiac MRI is used to detect or monitor cardiac disease and to evaluate the heart’s anatomy and function in patients with both heart disease present at birth and heart diseases that develop after birth.
It does not use ionizing radiation to produce images, and it may provide the best images of the heart for certain conditions.
CT Cardiac Calcium Scoring
The CT scan for Calcium Scoring uses special x-ray equipment to detect the presence of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries which may be indicative of artery narrowing by the buildup of plaque. The information obtained is analysed by sophisticated software which in turn assigns an index of risk based on age, gender and lifestyle. The higher the score, the higher the predisposing risk of a heart attack within the next 5 years.
CT Cardiac Angiography (CTCA)
This is a contrast-enhanced examination designed by technique to visualise and assess the patency of the coronary arteries. This examination would require the intravenous injection of a contrast medium and a specialise ECG gated acquisition technique where the patient is connected to an ECG unit. The images produced are then interpreted by a cardiologist and/or radiologist, who will then give the patient the appropriate health advice. Another role of CTCA is to evaluate the cardiac function.
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