Section of Cardiology

The Section of Cardiology within the Department of Medicine provides comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic services to patients with cardiovascular diseases. Presently, the section has 8 full-time and 11 non-full-time consultants. The Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) and CPSP-approved cardiology fellowship training programme ensures a steady production of superbly trained invasive and non-invasive cardiac specialists. Academic research interests of the Section include clinical outcomes in coronary angioplasty, coronary artery thrombolysis, complicated and uncomplicated myocardial infarction, and evaluation of new therapeutic modalities in acute coronary syndrome. The Section is also coordinating within Pakistan a major multicentre study of risk factors for acute myocardial infarction being conducted in 37 countries throughout the world.

The Section is equipped with a sixteen-bed Coronary Care Unit (CCU) for patients requiring intensive care, an eight-bed Coronary Step-Down Unit (CSDU) designed for cardiac patients requiring an intermediate level of care, a designated cardiology floor in the Private Wing with six telemetry units networked to monitor cardiac patients in all rooms on the floor.

All cardiology outpatient clinics are located in one area, where a full-time cardiologist is available throughout the week. Non-invasive diagnostic services include technologist-based transthoracic echocardiography (adult/paediatric/foetal), exercise tolerance testing (ETT), transesophageal echocardiography, stress echocardiography and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and ECG (holter) monitoring.

The angiography suite is a fully-equipped, digital cardiac catheterisation facility providing diagnostic and therapeutic services for both adults and paediatric patients suffering from various cardiovascular problems. The Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory offers state-of-the-art services for diagnostic angiography, right and left heart catheterisation, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and implantation of temporary and permanent cardiac pacemakers including the most sophisticated dual chamber pacemakers. Balloon angioplasty with stent placement for coronary and renal arteries is performed routinely, with results comparable to those pooled by North American centres (American College of Cardiology Database). Facilities for electrophysiological studies for diagnosis and management of cardiac arrhythmias are present. Nuclear cardiology along with a comprehensive nuclear medicine service is also available.

Section of Cardiology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi