Cardiology

The cardiology department aims to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of all those pathologies that aftect the cardiovascular system. This service provides all the necessary information to handle the pathology. The first consultation includes the patient anamnesis and all the necessary diagnostic and instrumental exams. After the first consult, we suggest the patient to schedule an annual follow-up. In case of particular pathologies, we suggest the patient to schedule the follow up more frequent.

Who should schedule this appointment?

The cardiology department can handle with non-invasive cardiological diagnosis for all our patients. Regardless of the initial health condition, with the help of classic and innovative instrumental exams, we can provide you with the best diagnostic accuracy.

Our cardiologists are constantly collaborating with all the MediClinic’s doctors, in order to provide cardiological diagnosis even in case of complex pathologies. Moreover, they are able to respond promptly to the colleagues’ warnings, that during their investigations can find out some hearth pathologies. For example, the vascular surgeon can find out a carotid arterial stenosis: in this case, the cardiologist can examine if the stenosis affects also the coronary arteries. The cardiologist can also collaborate with the neurologist, for all those patients who were affected by a stroke or by a brain ischemia with suspect of embolic source. He can collaborate in the investigation of sleep apneas, using the cardiac holter monitor, or with the nephrologist for renal dysfunctions.

Moreover, the cardiologists collaborate with the dietologists, to evaluate and manage the patients affected by obesity, diabetes, hypertension or other cardiovascular risk factors.

Why choose MediClinic?

We can provide diagnostic exams divided into two categories: the classic exams and the excellence exams.

“Classic” cardiology exams

We are talking about cardiological diagnostic exams that are available in most of the health care facilities. They are non-invasive exams that can allow an adequate diagnosis.

• Cardiology consultation with electrocardiogram
• Color doppler echocardiogram
• Stress test
• 24 hours cardiac holter monitor
• 24 hour pressure holter monitor

Stress test

The stress test is an instrumental exam that consists in the registration of the electrocardiogram before, during and after a physical effort. It is different from the normal EKG, that is registered under rest conditions. The cycle ergometer is a particular bike with electric controls and regulators that monitors the effort made by the patient, with particular attention to the cardiac frequency, to the pressure values and to possible alterations of the EKG as per the electric cardiac activity. During the physical effort, the doctor can obtain some alterations that are not remarkable when at rest. The exam happen in the following way: the doctor applies to the patient some electrodes; the patient should climb on the cyclette and pedal, following the doctor’s instructions. The doctor will ask to the patient to gradually increase the intensity of the effort. The doctor observes in real time the data and registers them; then, he will elaborate the report.

Excellence cardiologic diagnostic services

We are talking about non-invasive innovative diagnostic exams. We can perform them thanks to the latest-generation machineries that are available in MediClinic. This exams are used less frequently, but the allow to the cardiologist to have a more detailed diagnosis, even for complex pathologies.

Cardiac MRI

The cardiac MRI is a high-field MRI. It is non-invasive and painless. The cardiac MRI is useful because the quality of the images that it produces is so high that allow to examine the anatomic structures and to evaluate the functions and the flows of the interested area. This exam allows to recognize some genetic pathologies or to diagnose dilated ischemic heart diseases, myocarditis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathies, valvular heart diseases or pericarditis.

To perform this exam, the patient lies down fixed in a table that is situated in a tunnel. Sometimes, it is necessary to use a non-invasive and painless contrast medium and it is essential the patient collaboration. The patient will have an active role during the exam, as he will have to don’t breathe to get more accurate images. It is for sure an exam that will be used in the future for prevention, prognosis and treatment of several cardiovascular diseases.

7 days holter monitor

The holter monitor with the sleep apneas study and the electrocardiogram 7 days holter monitor are exams that can provide to the doctor a wider and more complete study of a patient’s heart. MediClinic has a very small machinery that allows to monitor the heart beat for a longer time than the normal machinery (24 or maximum 48 hours). This possibility is essential for the diagnosis of some pathologies that usually don’t appear with shortest exams.

The coronary flow reserve study

The coronary flow reserve study is an exam that consists in samples of the pulsed doppler of the distal tract of the anterior descending artery. It is limited to the evaluation of the anterior descending artery, that is only one of the three main coronary arteries. The data produced by this exam for the circumflex artery and for the right artery are doubtful. As the anterior descending artery is responsible for two-thirds of the acute coronary pathologies, the coronary flow reserve study is considered statistically significant for the study of coronopathies.

During the exam, the doctor samples the anterior descending artery tract at rest and at the peak of a physical or pharmacological effort. If the exam detects an acute coronary stenosis, the patient should perform a coronography and some surgeries like angioplasty or the bypass implantation, that are necessary to reactivate the coronary flow (before occurring an ischemia). MediClinic’s cardiologists are available to find the best solutions for every patient that is affected by acute coronary stenosis.

Cardiac color doppler ultrasound

It is the first exam to diagnose venous and arterial blood vessels pathologies. We can perform it in 3D or in 4D: differently to the traditional exam, it is possible to see and analysis the cardiovascular structures and how they move in time and space. The price is inexpensive and the exam is non-invasive. The exam uses the ultrasounds (like in a traditional ultrasound) e the doppler effect and evaluates: the systolic and diastolic speed flow of the arteries, the patency/obstruction of venous and arterial vessels, the veins flow and reflux.

The color doppler method is useful to perform vascular diagnostic studies for the supra-aortic vessels, for the abdominal great vessels and for the deep and superficial arterial-venous system. For this reason, every patient affected by an arterial or venous pathology should be examined with this innovative and non-invasive procedure. It can be useful both for a first diagnosis and for a follow-up. We suggest to perform this exam to all those patients with cardiovascular diseases genetic link or for those patients affected by potentially pathogenic risks factors for veins and arteries. The exam does not expose the patient to ionizing radiations.