Department of Cardiology

MCRI has a fully integrated cardiovascular unit providing all aspects of Cardiovascular Care under one roof. It exhibits healthcare efficiency and optimized patient care from early disease detection to complex interventions to help thousands of heart patients lead longer and healthier lives.

The department of Cardiology represents one of the most modern and state of the art cardiac care facility which are affordable and available to one and all. Our dedicated team of cardiologists is known for their expertise, knowledge and experience in their respective area. The hospital provides a wide spectrum of heart related services from simple radial coronary angiogram to high tech sophisticated treatment involving complex cardiac angioplasties, interventional procedures for peripheral vascular diseases and balloon procedures for narrowed valves.

Facilities

The cardiology department has state-of-the-art infrastructure with most advanced equipment and implements the latest technology to give optimum benefit to our patients.

• The Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory is equipped with high tech Philips system with extremely versatile imaging capabilities including 180 degree spin, digital subtraction angiography and 3-D reconstruction. The lab is equipped with automatic software for online precise quantification of narrowing in blood vessels and for analysis of left ventricular function.
• Our Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) is outfitted with sophisticated monitors, telemetry, experienced and caring staff. Our doctors are always available for compassionate and humane medical assistance.

Special facilities

• Emergency team: The department of Cardiology shall provide round the clock, 24x7 emergency services including expedited treatment of patients with acute heart attacks called primary angioplasty with stenting
• Wellness Clinic: This clinic offers an opportunity to the patients to interact with an expert doctor who screens for heart disorders in those likely to develop heart disease as well as monitor one’s health periodically for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases
• Cardiac rehabilitation: A dedicated team of medical professionals would personally supervise recovery following a cardiac procedure. This includes physical conditioning, respiratory exercises to enhance lung capacity, physiotherapy to improve muscle tone and instructions for post procedure diet program

Non Invasive Cardiology

Non Invasive Cardiology pertains to cardiovascular evaluation without getting exposure to patient’s blood. It involves tests which are generally considered the basic and essential first steps towards a cardiac evaluation. You may be offered one or more of these depending upon your clinical profile.

Non Invasive services

offered under this section include:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG)
• 2D Echocardiography with Colour Doppler
• Paediatric and foetal Echocardiography
• Tread Mill Test (TMT)
• Holter Monitoring
• Ambulatory BP Monitoring

Invasive Cardiology

Invasive Cardiology pertains to a patient’s evaluation which involves exposure to patient’s blood. These are generally considered advanced forms of diagnostic or therapeutic techniques. The procedures under this section are carried out in our well equipped and high tech Cardiac Catheterization laboratories.

Invasive coronary procedures

performed under this section include:

• Coronary Angiogram (Radial and Femoral approach)
• Balloon angioplasty (PTCA) with stenting
• Primary angioplasty and stenting for acute heart attack patients

FAQs

- What are the common symptoms for which I need to see a cardiologist?

You need to see a Cardiologist if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, especially if they are being experienced more frequently, coming at shorter intervals or lasting longer.

1. Chest pain/ Jaw pain/ Pain in left arm or back
2. Breathlessness
3. Excessive sweating
4. Palpitation
5. Easy tiredness
6. Retrosternal burning or ‘gas like’ symptoms. These set of symptoms are often misinterpreted as acidity. These may represent heart disease.
   

- Should an adult regularly get tests done to find if heart function is normal?

A good way to start is to establish a baseline cardiovascular risk profile. Individuals after the age of 40 years should undergo few necessary tests like blood sugar, lipid (cholesterol) profile, a blood test called high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a blood pressure check and a consultation with a Cardiologist who would perform a clinical examination. Based upon these, an individual’s probability of having heart disease over a period of time may be assessed. Individuals who fall in the high risk category should get themselves examined yearly, while others can get it done after every two-three years or so.

- Do diabetes and extra body weight cause heart diseases?

Diabetes and extra body weight are strongly related to heart disease. Diabetes directly affects all the arteries of the body and in addition to cardiac disease, also causes stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Extra body weight indirectly stresses the heart since an obese individual would require more blood to be pumped to different body parts. These individuals often have lipid (cholesterol) abnormalities, propensity for becoming diabetics over time and many of them do not exercise, all of which predispose to heart disease.

- What if a birth defect was left untreated during childhood, can it cause trouble later in life?

Not all birth defects cause trouble later in life. A few of them called atrial and ventricular septal defects tend to close as the child grows. It would be worthwhile waiting for a few years and see if they close by themselves, this can be accomplished by periodic consultations and echocardiograms. If they are large, these type of defects generally do not close and can cause problems if left untreated. Occasionally these problems can be potentially life threatening. A specific subset of babies have defects which make them blue, these generally do not get better with time and some form of treatment needs to be carried out early.