Department of Cardiology

Coronary Angiography involves visualisation of the interior lumen of arteries of the heart to look for blockages by use of radio-opaque contrast in a Cardiac Cath Lab. These arteries are accessed through a small puncture in an artery in the groin or the wrist. The procedure is more than 99% safe. Complications are rare, and are explained in detail to the patient and relatives before the procedure. Usually, one has to stay in hospital for 1 day.

Quite simply, it means repair of an artery of the heart. The arteries are approached through a small puncture in the groin or wrist, and blockages are opened with the use of a balloon. Most often, the coronary artery is then stented with a specialised metal matrix coated with specific drug, to keep it open. The procedure is 99% safe, though some subsets of patients are more prone to complications – these are explained in detail to patients and relatives before the procedure. Usually, one has to stay in hospital for 2 to 3 days.

Echocardiography is a specialised application of Ultrasound, where high frequency sound waves are used to visualise the beating heart, including it’s walls, valves, chambers, even the blood flowing through each part. Echocardiography is required in almost all individuals undergoing cardiac evaluation, since it gives an idea about every aspect of the heart’s functioning, except the state of the coronary arteries, for which angiography, as described above, is the gold standard.

Every diagnostic and interventional procedure is carried out by a team of highly skilled, post doctoral qualified cardiologists, backed by an experienced team of nurses and technicians, often accompanied by an anaesthesiologist to provide pain relief and sedation. All this is associated with the world class support of all departments of this hospital, e.g. blood bank, laboratory, radiology, etc.

Yes, not only is there state of the art equipment like a Philips Azurion Cath Lab, IVUS, Rotablator, FFR, 3-D Echocardiography, all in-house, there are experts who are proficient in use of this technology to exploit all this to the maximum benefit of the patient.

Yes, cardiac surgery is routinely performed at Bharati Hospital, and is available as a back up, if required.