Angina is a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart. Angina is a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina, also called angina pectoris, is often described as squeezing, pressure, heaviness, tightness, or pain in your chest.

Aortic valve disease is a condition in which the valve between the main pumping chamber of your heart (left ventricle) and the main artery to your body (aorta) doesn't work properly. Aortic valve disease may be a condition present at birth (congenital heart disease), or it may result from other causes.

Atrial flutter (AFL) is a type of abnormal heart rate, or arrhythmia. It occurs when the upper chambers of your heart beat too fast. When the chambers in the top of your heart (atria) beat faster than the bottom ones (ventricles), it causes your heart rhythm to be out of sync.

Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. AF occurs when electrical impulses fire off from different places in the top chambers of the heart in a disorganised way. These irregular impulses cause the atria to quiver or twitch, which is known as fibrillation. This causes as an irregular, and sometimes fast, heartbeat or pulse.

An atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of your heart. The condition is present at birth. Small defects might be found by chance and never cause a problem. Some small atrial septal defects close during infancy or early childhood. The hole increases the amount of blood that flows through the lungs. A large, long-standing atrial septal defect can damage your heart and lungs. Surgery or device closure might be necessary to repair atrial septal defects to prevent complications.

An ectopic heartbeat is when the heart either skips a beat or adds an extra beat. They are also called premature heartbeats. Ectopic heartbeats are usually not a cause for concern, and they may occur for no known reason. Despite the skipped or added beat, the heart otherwise functions normally

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that makes it harder for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body. Cardiomyopathy can lead to heart failure. The main types of cardiomyopathy include dilated, hypertrophic, and restrictive cardiomyopathy.

The most common heart problems that cause chest pain are pericarditis – which usually causes a sudden, sharp, stabbing pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply or lie down, angina or a heart attack – which have similar symptoms but a heart attack is life-threatening

Fatigue can be caused by many illnesses and by medicines. But an extreme, constant, new fatigue also can sometimes signal heart failure or coronary artery disease.

Heart block is a condition which causes the heart to beat more slowly or with an abnormal rhythm. The cause of this is a problem with the electrical pulses that control how your heart beats.

Heart disease includes conditions that narrow or block blood vessels (coronary heart disease). This can lead to a heart attack, angina and some strokes. Heart disease also covers conditions that affect your heart's muscle, valves or cause abnormal rhythms

Heart failure is where the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly and needs treatment to help it work. Symptoms of heart disease include shortness of breath, tiredness and swelling in your ankles or legs.

A heart murmur is an unexpected or unusual sound which can be heard in your heart through a stethoscope. They are mostly harmless, but sometimes they can relate to a problem with your heart.

Heart palpitations are the sensation that your heart has skipped a beat or added an extra beat. It may also feel like your heart is racing, pounding, or fluttering. You may become overly aware of your heartbeat. This sensation can be felt in the neck, throat, or chest.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is when the pressure in your blood vessels is unusually high. It can be serious if not treated. High blood pressure does not usually have any symptoms. The only way to find out if you have it is to get your blood pressure checked.

High cholesterol is when you have too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in your blood. it's mainly caused by eating fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol. It can also run-in families.

In mitral valve disease, the mitral valve between the upper left heart chamber (left atrium) and the lower left heart chamber doesn't work properly. It may not be closing properly, which causes blood to leak backward to the left atrium, or the valve may be narrowed.

Paravalvular leak (PVL) is a relatively rare complication related to the surgical replacement of mitral and aortic valves. ... Paravalvular leak refers to blood flowing through a channel between the structure of the implanted valve and cardiac tissue as a result of a lack of appropriate sealing.

Pulmonary valve disease is a condition in which the pulmonary valve — located between your heart's lower right heart chamber and the artery that delivers blood to the lungs doesn't work properly. The condition can interrupt blood flow from your heart to your lungs.

Since shortness of breath can be a sign of heart disease, patients with breathlessness are usually evaluated by cardiologists. In addition to a careful history and a thorough physical exam by a cardiologist, certain cardiac tests might be helpful to determine cardiac causes of shortness of breath.

Supraventricular tachycardia is a condition where your heart suddenly beats much faster than normal. The main symptom of supraventricular tachycardia is your heart suddenly beating faster than usual for a few minutes or sometimes several hours.

Tricuspid valve disease is a condition in which the valve between the two right heart chambers doesn't function properly. Tricuspid valve disease often occurs with other heart valve problems.

Vegetations can build up in the heart due to endocarditis, an infection of the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves. If this infection occurs, bacteria, fungi and other germs can invade your blood and in turn attach themselves to abnormal areas of your heart. This build up is known as vegetation and can cause blood clots, which can cause serious damage to the heart and other vital organs.

A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a birth defect of the heart in which there is a hole in the wall (septum) that separates the two lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart.

Ventricular tachycardia is a heart rhythm disorder caused by abnormal electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart. This condition may also be called V-tach or VT. The chaotic heartbeats prevent the heart chambers from properly filling with blood. As a result, your heart may not be able to pump enough blood to your body and lungs.

The most common technique for treating atrial fibrillation is catheter ablation. In this procedure, your doctor threads one or more long, thin tubes (catheters) through blood vessels to your heart.

Atrial flutter ablation is a procedure to create scar tissue within the right upper chamber of the heart to block the electrical signals that cause a fluttering heartbeat.

If the opening is small, surgery or other treatments may not be needed. Most large atrial septal defects will be closed either with open-heart surgery or during a cardiac catheterization using a device inserted into the opening to plug it (referred to as interventional or therapeutic catheterization.

AV (atrioventricular) node ablation is a cardiac catheterization procedure to treat atrial fibrillation. Your doctor applies radiofrequency energy (heat) to the pathway connecting the upper chambers (atria) and lower chambers (ventricles) of your heart (AV node) through a catheter. This destroys a small area of tissue, which prevents the atria from sending faulty electrical impulses to the ventricles.

Cardiac device extraction is the removal of a cardiac device that has been placed inside a patient to regulate the heart. If the device requires extraction it is often due to a mechanical malfunction or the device becoming infected and requires replacing.

The procedure involves implanting a half-dollar sized pacemaker, usually just below the collarbone. Three wires (leads) connected to the device monitor the heart rate to detect heart rate irregularities and emit tiny pulses of electricity to correct them. In effect, it is "resynchronizing" the heart.

Cardioversion restores a normal heart rhythm in people with certain types of abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias). 

Cardioversion is usually done by sending electric shocks to your heart through electrodes placed on your chest. It's also possible to do cardioversion with medications.

A coronary angioplasty is a procedure used to widen blocked or narrowed coronary arteries (the main blood vessels supplying the heart). The term "angioplasty" means using a balloon to stretch open a narrowed or blocked artery.

An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a small battery-powered device placed in your chest to monitor your heart rhythm and detect irregular heartbeats. An ICD can deliver electric shocks via one or more wires connected to your heart to fix an abnormal heart rhythm.

Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure (carried out under general anaesthetic but without having to make large incisions in the skin) which is thought to reduce the risk of stroke in people with AF.

A pacemaker is a small device that's placed under the skin in your chest to help control your heartbeat. It's used to help your heart beat more regularly if you have an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), particularly a slow one. Implanting a pacemaker in your chest requires a surgical procedure.

Paravalvular leak closure is required if there is a leak after a valve replacement. Once the leak is diagnosed a catheter and a small plug are used to repair the leak in surgery.

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) ablation is a procedure to create scar tissue within the heart in order to block abnormal electrical signals and restore a normal heart rhythm. SVT ablation is used to treat heart rhythm problems that affect the heart's upper chambers and cause an abnormally fast or erratic heartbeat.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation is different from regular open heart surgery in that it uses a less invasive approach to treat a diseased aortic valve. The aortic valve controls the flow of blood from the heart to the rest of the body. A TAVI involves removing a faulty or damaged valve and replacing it with a new one.

Ventricular tachycardia ablation is a procedure to eliminate the areas of the heart where erratic electrical signals arise that can cause your heart to beat ineffectively. Ventricular tachycardia occurs when electrical signals within the lower chambers of your heart (ventricles) cause your heart to beat too quickly.

What is Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring? Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) is when your blood pressure is measured as you move around, living your normal daily life. It is measured for up to 24 hours. A small digital blood pressure monitor is attached to a belt around your waist and connected to a cuff around your upper arm. It is small enough not to affect your normal daily life and you can even sleep with it on.

Cardiac Computed Tomography (Cardiac CT) & Angiography (CTCA) uses a special computed tomography (CT) scan to show the amount of hardening of the artery wall (atherosclerosis) that has occurred in your heart and is used to ascertain your risk of a heart attack or stroke within the next 5-10 years.

A cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) lets your doctor see how your lungs, heart and muscles react together when you exercise. During the test, we will get you to walk on a treadmill. We will measure how much air you breathe, how much oxygen you need and how fast your heart is beating when you exercise.

A carotid Doppler is an imaging test that uses ultrasound to examine the carotid arteries located in the neck. This test can show narrowing or possible blockages due to plaque build-up in the arteries due to coronary artery disease.

A CMR scan uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of your heart. It gives us information on the structure of your heart and blood vessels and how well they are working

Coronary angiography remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and assessment for its treatment options including PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention). Performed as a day case procedure under local anaesthetic. High resolution, digital images allow accurate interpretation of the extent and severity of coronary artery disease undertaken by experienced consultants.

During your coronary angiogram or coronary angioplasty, the operator may take the opportunity to measure the blood flow in your coronary arteries. This can be done to determine if the arteries need treatment or after stenting to determine the effect of stenting on coronary blood flow.
This is performed using a pressure sensor tipped wire which can be passed through the coronary artery. During this procedure medication may be administered to help make measurements. It does not increase the risk of the original procedure, which remains at less than 1 in 100 risk of a serious complication developing.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a method of obtaining tomographic images of a human organ based on the coherence of light. ... In cardiology, OCT is an optical analog of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), used to examine the coronary arteries.

Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) is a catheter-based diagnostic procedure used to view the inside of a coronary artery, providing a real-time view. IVUS is a combination of echocardiography and cardiac catheterization. IVUS uses sound waves to produce an image of the coronary arteries and to see their condition.

Echocardiograms are used to examine suspected problems with the valves or chambers of the heart, as well as the heart's ability to pump blood. An important purpose is to identify potential causes of stroke. The test also may be used to: Estimate the amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricle with each heartbeat.

An ECG (electrocardiogram) records the electrical activity of your heart at rest. It provides information about your heart rate and rhythm and shows if there is enlargement of the heart due to high blood pressure (hypertension) or evidence of a previous heart attack (myocardial infarction).

An Electrophysiology (EP) study is a test to understand the way electrical signals move through your heart to make it beat. An EP study is used in people whose bodies produce ineffective or chaotic electrical signals that cause the heart to beat incorrectly. An EP study can also be used to predict the risk of sudden cardiac death.

An cardiac event recorder is a portable device used to record your heart's electrical activity when you have symptoms. It records the same information as an electrocardiogram (ECG), but for longer durations of time. Most of these devices can transmit the recorded information directly to your healthcare provider.

An exercise ECG, also called an exercise tolerance test, is an electrocardiogram (ECG) that is recorded while you are walking on a treadmill or cycling on an exercise bike. The aim of the test is to see how your heart works when you are exerting yourself.

Screening examinations are tests performed to find disease before symptoms begin. The goal of screening is to detect disease at its earliest and most treatable stage. In order to be widely accepted and recommended by medical practitioners, a screening program must meet a number of criteria, including reducing the number of deaths from the given disease.
Screening tests may include laboratory tests to check blood and other fluids, genetic tests that look for inherited genetic markers linked to disease, and imaging tests that produce pictures of the inside of the body. These tests are typically available to the general population; however, an individual's needs for a specific screening test are based on factors such as age, gender and family history.

An implantable loop recorder, or ILR, is a heart recording device that is implanted in the body underneath the chest skin. It has several uses. The most common ones include looking for causes of fainting, palpitations, very fast or slow heartbeats, and hidden rhythms that can cause strokes.

A pacemaker/ICD check is done every 6 to 12 months unless the device is newly fitted. These checks are to check whether any adjustments are needed. ECG electrodes are placed on the wrists and ankles and a magnet is then placed over the device, which is linked to the computer. The technician will monitor the device and adjust if needed.

We use echocardiography to assess wall motion abnormalities under rest and stress (either exercise or pharmacological stress) it is possible to identify the presence and extent of myocardial ischaemia and myocardial viability. This outpatient investigation is often used as an adjunct to coronary angiography to target appropriate revascularisation but can also be valuable as a diagnostic tool for determining the likelihood of coronary artery disease in an individual patient. Referral for Stress Echocardiography is generally undertaken by a cardiologist following clinical assessment.