Cardiology in Droitwich

Your heart beats millions of times every year, pumping blood around your body. This circulating blood carries oxygen and essential nutrients to your organs, enabling you to stay healthy and well. 

The heart is a muscle. As with all muscles, it is important to keep it working efficiently and well. If anything stops your heart pumping normally, or if your blood vessels become narrowed or blocked, medical treatment may be needed to restore healthy blood flow. 

If there is something wrong with your heart or circulation (often referred to as the circulatory system or the cardiovascular system) your whole body could be affected. 

Here at The Droitwich Spa Hospital, our Consultant Cardiologists are highly experienced in treating private patients with heart or circulation problems. They can help you too.  

What is cardiology?

Cardiology is the area of medicines that specialises in   investigating and treating diseases of the heart and/or blood vessels. A doctor who specialises in this field of medicine is a Cardiologist.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a common cause of death (and premature death) in the UK. Common problems of the cardiovascular system we can help manage include:  

• Angina and heart attacks,  
• High blood pressure – known as hypertension, 
• Heart rhythm problems – such as atrial fibrillation, where part of the
• Heart beats rapidly and irregularly, 
• Heart failure,  
• Heart valve disease,  
• High cholesterol.

Cardiovascular problems left untreated will often get worse, potentially leading to more long-term health problems. If you are at all worried about the health of your heart, it is sensible to seek medical advice. Once a clinical assessment has been made, treatment options can be discussed, planned and started.

The symptoms below may indicate that some part of your cardiovascular system isn’t working as well as it should. If you are experiencing any of them, medical assessment is recommended:

• Chest pains: Tightness, heaviness or chest pain, usually worse on exertion and easing with rest, 
• Palpitations: described as a fluttering, missed or skipped beat sensation, or pounding or irregular heartbeat, 
• Breathlessness, 
• Fatigue, weakness or noticing your exercise limits have gone down, 
• Swollen or puffy legs or ankles, 
• Heart rate behaving slower or faster than normal, 
• Dizziness or fainting episodes (syncope). 

None of these symptoms are pleasant to experience, and some of them can be quite frightening, especially if they are persistent and significantly affecting your quality of life.

Our Cardiology team have years of experience in assessment and diagnosis of cardiac illnesses. If treatment is necessary, this can all be arranged for you by your Cardiologist.

For any medical problem, an accurate diagnosis is important. Once a diagnosis has been made, you will be able to discuss what treatment options are available, plan for them and get started.

When you first meet with your Consultant, they will ask you questions about your symptoms. They’ll want to know things like:  

• How long you’ve had these symptoms for? 
• If you have chest pain, what type of pain is it (e.g. dull or sharp, constant or intermittent)? 
• Whether your symptoms have been getting worse over time? 
• If there are any aggravating or relieving factors that you have noticed? 
• How your everyday life is being affected by these symptoms?

The Cardiology team can use a range of different tests to get a good overall understanding of the health of your heart and blood vessels. The two most commonly used diagnostic investigations are: 

Analysing your blood via blood tests, 

• Electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure electrical activity in your heart. 
• As the health of your heart affects so many other parts of your body, further investigations may be needed to narrow diagnosis down and to ensure the treatment is specific to the issue you may have. They may include:  
• Echocardiography: a specialised ultrasound scan of the heart,  
• Heart rhythm monitoring,  
• Exercise tolerance tests: to see how well your heart functions at different levels,  
• CT coronary angiogram:  to produce imaging of the blood vessels supplying your heart (coronary arteries), 
• Cardiac MRI: helps to assess the structure and function of your heart in great detail. 
• Cardiac catheterisation: an invasive test to look for narrowed heart arteries, or other cardiac abnormalities.

Due to the complexity of your cardiovascular system and its involvement in systems throughout the body, you may require a number of investigations in order to confirm a diagnosis. These can all be arranged for you by your Consultant.

• Once diagnosis has been made, we’ll make sure you receive the right treatment. Common treatments for cardiovascular problems include: 
• Dietary changes, 
• Increasing your physical activity and exercise, 
• Medication, 
• Surgery, such as insertion of a pacemaker, performing an ablation or unblocking of a narrowed blood vessel. 

Regular follow up ensures you’ll always receive the optimal treatment. If you have any questions or concerns at any time, it’s very easy to arrange a time to see your Consultant to discuss these with them.

People depend on us to treat and manage their cardiac problems for a number of reasons:

Rapid access to experienced Consultants: When you’re worried about a heart problem, you’ll want to get it diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible. We can offer you fast, easy access to an experienced Consultant Cardiologist for assessment, diagnosis and treatment.  

Convenient appointments: We know that life is often very busy. With access to a number of experienced Consultant Cardiologists, we’ll be able to arrange an appointment at a time that’s most convenient for you.

Bespoke treatment plans: With heart health, there is no ‘one size fits all’ treatment option. Any treatment or rehabilitation programme needed will be tailored to your specific requirements in order to successfully manage the cause(s) of your condition.

Multidisciplinary team: Your Consultant is supported in his role by a number of other healthcare professionals, including nurses, physiotherapists, radiographers and pharmacists.

Peace of mind: In an independent survey, 97.7% of the people we treated said they were likely or highly likely to recommend us to their family and friends. Cardiac problems can be a real source of worry, but your doctor will talk through any questions or concerns you may have at any stage to help reassure you and put your mind at rest.

Free car parking:  Register your car number at reception when you arrive and your parking will be free. 

If you’re feeling anxious or concerned about a problem with your heart, it’s important to know that you are not alone.

Good, effective treatments are available for a wide range of heart conditions and we can schedule a private consultation for you without delay. Your Consultant will investigate the cause(s) of your symptoms and talk with you about any suitable treatment options. If you do require surgery, such as an implant of a pacemaker, they can arrange that for you simply and without delay.

For private cardiology treatment in Droitwich, whether you live locally or will be travelling from further afield, please contact us today for help.