Our Services A - Z - Cardiology

The specialty or cardiology includes the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of cardiac conditions. Initial assessment and any ongoing treatment and investigations may occur in the outpatient and / or inpatient setting. The Cardiology Team offers a number of services and interventions to provide the best care for our patients and the local community. 

Inpatient Care

Inpatient care is provided in the Coronary Care Unit (1E) and the cardiology ward (1D). The Coronary Care Unit consists of 17 beds with a number of single rooms. The cardiology ward has 32 beds, 16 of which are within single sex bays and the remaining 16 beds as single rooms.

Consultant ward rounds take place every morning, including weekends and bank holidays. We have a team of highly trained nursing staff to provide specialist care.

The specialist nursing team review patients admitted to the hospital with heart failure or those who have had a heart attack. They help ensure patients who may not be on a cardiology ward receive the appropriate treatment; investigations; and support / follow up.

The cardiac nurses also review patients who have attended ED with chest pain that may be cardiac in nature. They provide a telephone consultation where they assess the patient to determine the need for further investigation and / or treatment. This helps reduce the need for a person to be admitted whilst ensuring they undergo correct assessment and investigation.

The cardiologists provide specialist review of patients with cardiac conditions on non-cardiology wards and medical assessment unit.

Outpatient Services

Our outpatient services are held at both St Helens and Whiston hospitals. Clinics are undertaken by the consultant cardiologists; specialty doctors and highly experienced specialist nurses.

Clinics include:

• General Cardiology Clinics.
• Cardioversion clinic
• New Atrial Fibrillation clinic
• Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinics
• Heart Failure Clinics
• Valve Disease Clinics
• Pacemakers Follow up Clinics

Diagnostic Services

The cardiology department together with the cardiorespiratory department provides a range of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques undertaken by highly qualified and experienced staff.

Diagnostic tests undertaken include ECG recording; Echocardiography; CT Coronary Angiogram; Dobutamine Stress ECHO; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging; Exercise Tolerance Stress Testing; Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Ambulatory ECG recording.

The Cardiac Diagnostic Centre is a purpose-built unit with two catheter laboratories, a 9-bedded ward with infection control single room and a recovery room. The unit is connected directly to the Coronary Care Unit and the cardiology ward. Activities at the cardiac diagnostic centre include coronary angiography, permanent pacemaker and loop recorder implantation, ferinject (iron) infusions and DC cardioversions.