Cardiology

Cardiac Screenings

We know just how precious a healthy heart is and that it needs protection from the demands of our modern lifestyles. On top of our regular screenings, we are able to provide comprehensive private cardiology services, which encompasses cardiovascular screening through to the referral to specialist treatment and management of complex heart disease.

Electrocardiogram (ECG)

An electrocardiogram is a simple test that records the electrical activity of the heart. It is performed by placing electrodes (stickers) on the chest, arms and legs and usually takes only a few minutes. The ECG captures a few seconds of the heart beat and can be used to diagnose many problems including slow and fast heart rhythms, coronary disease and the effects of high blood pressure.

Echocardiogram with Doppler (heart ultrasound)

Echocardiography is an ultrasound scan of the heart. It allows the Cardiologist to view the structure and function of the heart muscle and valves. Echocardiography is painless and usually takes 20-30 minutes to perform. The scan involves applying a jelly like substance to the chest and placing a probe over the chest to access a ‘window’ to view the heart. Echocardiography is a very useful way of looking at the heart’s structure including the heart muscle, chambers and valves. This scan is used for more specific cardiac conditions. No preparation is necessary for this test. The scan is very useful in patients with congenital heart disease, heart valve disease and for assessing damage after a heart attack.

Ambulatory 24-Hour ECG Monitoring (Holter)

The resting ECG records only a few seconds of the heartbeat and often, in order to make a diagnosis, it is necessary to record for longer periods of time. This may be for 24 or even 48 hours. Rather than the usual 12 leads for a standard ECG, ambulatory ECG monitoring usually uses 3 electrodes which are attached to the chest (stickers) and the patient is given the recording device (the size of a smartphone) to carry in their pocket for the duration of the recording. The device is then returned and the tracings analysed by a Cardiologist and a report generated.

24 hour blood pressure monitoring

24-hour or even 48 hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a method to continuously measure your blood pressure over the period of a whole day. This allows the Cardiologist to assess your blood pressure when you are living your normal daily life and is a better reflection of your true blood pressure. It is therefore a very useful technique to make the diagnosis of hypertension (high blood pressure) in borderline cases or to assess the effectiveness of treatment.

The procedure uses a small digital blood pressure machine that is attached to a belt around your body and which is connected to a cuff around your upper arm. The machine takes your blood pressure by inflating a cuff around your upper arm and then slowly releasing the pressure and takes blood pressure readings at regular intervals throughout the day: usually, every 15-30 minutes during the daytime and 30-60 minutes at night. At the end of the 24 hours, the machine and cuff are returned and the machine will have stored all your readings which can be analyzed.

For further information or to book an appointment, call us today on +7 495 150 69 92