Cardiology clinic

An assessment of the cardiovascular system is for anyone who notices tightness or pain in the chest, getting out of breath quickly on exertion, a pounding or skipping heart, swollen ankles or dizziness. People without symptoms also book, wanting a risk assessment because of high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, diabetes or heart disease in their close family.

The cardiologist also treats and monitors known conditions: high blood pressure, heart rhythm disorders, heart failure, and the period after a heart attack or a heart procedure. For people returning to intensive exercise after a long break, a common reason for an examination is an assessment of exercise capacity.

An ECG records the electrical activity of the heart and takes a few minutes. A heart ultrasound, also called echocardiography, shows the heart chambers, valves and how the heart muscle is working. The test is painless and involves no radiation; it is done lying on your left side.

Exercise testing shows how the heart responds to exertion. While you walk on a treadmill or ride an exercise bike, your ECG and blood pressure are monitored. Come to the test in sports clothes and avoid a large meal and coffee just before the test.

Which tests make sense in your case is decided by the cardiologist based on your symptoms and previous results. Not all of them are necessarily done. Sometimes a conversation, examination and ECG are enough for an assessment; other times a longer recording of the heart rhythm or further tests are needed to clarify things, which you agree on at the examination.

Book an examination if breathlessness you did not have before stops you on exertion, if you feel tightness in your chest when walking uphill, if your heart suddenly pounds or skips, if your blood pressure fluctuates despite medication, or if your ankles swell repeatedly.

Some conditions, however, do not belong in a waiting room. With pain or strong tightness in the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, spreads to the arm, neck or jaw and comes with cold sweat, nausea or shortness of breath, call 112 immediately. The same applies to a sudden loss of consciousness. Do not drive yourself and do not wait for it to pass.

The cardiology clinic works on a self-pay basis, so you do not need a referral and can book yourself.

Bring the results of previous tests to the examination, that is ECG, heart ultrasound and laboratory results, a list of medicines with doses and, if you measure your blood pressure at home, a record of the readings from recent weeks. You receive a report with recommendations after the examination; give a copy to your personal doctor, who manages further treatment.

A cardiology examination focuses on the heart and blood vessels. It makes sense when you have symptoms that point to the heart, or when a known heart condition needs to be monitored. The cardiologist then chooses the tests according to the question that needs answering.

If you have no symptoms and want a broader assessment of your health, the centre also offers Redni servis, an in-depth preventive check-up that identifies the most important risk factors for heart and vascular disease and cancer. When the results of Redni servis show deviations that call for an assessment of the heart, the next step can be a cardiology examination.