Cardiology

Cardiac services cover five areas of activity:

Cardiothoracic transplantation

-Assessment of a patient for transplantation
-Implantation of the heart and/or lungs from a donor to a recipient (plus follow-up services)
-Alternative treatments for end stage heart/lung failure.

Cardiac electrophysiology

-Diagnosis, assessment and interventional treatment of cardiac rhythm disturbance, including the implantation of devices such as cardiac defibrillators.
Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) (an abnormality of the heart, present from birth)
-Approximately half of patients with congenital heart disease surviving into adulthood will have complex cases requiring ongoing follow-up and treatment in adult life in a centre with expertise in ACHD.

Adult invasive cardiology and cardiac surgery

-Interventional cardiology (catheter-based treatment of structural heart disease)
-Implantation of permanent pacemakers
-Coronary bypass
-Valve replacement

Pulmonary hypertension (an increase in blood pressure)

A life-threatening and rapidly progressive disease. Diagnosis is usually established in a local hospital. However, the patient is often referred to a specialist centre in cases where the underlying cause must be established in order to determine the appropriate treatment

Further information on Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery can be found at the British Heart Foundation website