What is cardiology?

Cardiology is the branch of medicine in which cardiologists investigate, diagnose, prevent and treat problems with the heart. This includes:

• Coronary artery disease, angina, heart attacks
• Heart failure
• Disorders of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathies)
• Congenital heart defects, such as ‘hole in the heart’ and heart murmurs
• Problems with the heartbeat: tachycardia (a fast heart rate), bradycardia (a slow heart rate) and arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat)
• Heart valve problems and abnormalities.

Cardiology: diagnostic tests available at The Physicians’ Clinic

All of our cardiology testing is done on our premises; you can often have a consultation with one of our cardiologists and then have your diagnostic procedure before returning to your consultant for a discussion and treatment plan. Our range of diagnostic services for cardiac problems includes:

• CT coronary angiography: live 3-D imaging of the heart and coronary arteries
• Electrocardiograms (ECGs): stress ECG and ambulatory ECG
• Blood tests: troponin and other cardiac enzymes, urea and electrolytes, full blood count, BNP
• Calcium scanning
• Coronary catheterisation
• Chest X-rays
• CT scans of the chest
• Myocardial perfusion scanning
• Electrophysiology studies
• Cardiac MRI
• Echocardiograms: stress echocardiograms and transoesophageal echocardiograms.