Cardiovascular Medicine

The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine (CVM) provides advanced management of elective and emergency acute and chronic heart disease conditions. The service provides hospital-wide inpatient and outpatient cardiology consultations. CVM is comprised of the Coronary Care Unit (CCU/G42), Cardiology Ward (G41), Cardiovascular Invasive Laboratory and other Cardiology services.

Diagnostic services include electrocardiogram (ECG’s), echocardiography (transthoracic, transoesophageal and stress), pacemaker checks, Holter monitors and exercise stress tests.

The Cardiovascular Invasive Laboratory runs normal working hours plus provides a 24-hour on call service, including a 24-hour primary angioplasty service. It provides inpatient services for angiograms, angioplasty, electrophysiology studies, pacing device implants as well as other structural heart procedures, for e.g., transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and mitralclip. The department maintains a close relationship with the department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

The department provides ongoing management of cardiac patients through the Cardiac Rehabilitation and Heart Failure Service.  This is a multidisciplinary team and provides assessment, education, support and counselling to cardiac and heart failure patients admitted to SCGH on an inpatient and outpatient basis.

The department has a close association with the Heart Research Institute (HRI). The institute conducts both inpatient and outpatient clinical trials.