Cardiology tests
The London Clinic provides a number of procedures to assess the health of your heart. Our diagnostic services facility at 5 Devonshire Place offers a range of heart investigations, helping your cardiologist to develop a treatment programme tailored to your needs.
Overview
The London Clinic provides a number of procedures to assess the health of your heart. Our diagnostic services facility at 5 Devonshire Place offers a range of heart investigations, helping your cardiologist to develop a treatment programme tailored to your needs.
Heart symptoms and conditions which we can assist with include:
- chest pain
- breathlessness
- palpitations
- fainting
- cardiac disease
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
Cardiac Imaging at The London Clinic
The London Clinic is one of the few private hospitals in central London to offer a comprehensive, multi-modality cardiac imaging service. Our purpose-built stress echocardiography laboratory permits a daily, consultant-led service.
As opposed to invasive techniques, which require catheters to be inserted into the heart, non-invasive tests are safer, easier to perform, and can be used to detect various heart conditions.
These range from reduced blood flow that supplies the heart muscle (known as coronary artery disease) to abnormalities that weaken the capacity of the heart to pump blood.
What is Cardio-Oncology?
Cardio-Oncology is the management of cardiovascular complications for cancer patients. Cancer treatment (both chemotherapy and radiotherapy) can potentially cause a variety of heart problems.
Cardiac complications of cancer therapy
Common chemotherapies (e.g. Herceptin, anthracyclines/doxorubicin/daunorubicin, R-CHOP, R-ESHAP, Velcade, Avastin, ABVD, FOLFOX, FOLFORI) can damage the heart muscle, coronary arteries and cause irregular heartbeat.
Potential cardiac problems of therapies include heart failure, myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation), arrhythmias (e.g. AF or atrial fibrillation) coronary spasm and heart attacks.
Radiotherapy can also lead to cardiac complications in some patients, with the most common early problem being an inflammation of the heart muscle and lining (myopericarditis).
Both chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause cardiac complications months to many years down the line. These include the development of heart failure, heart valve disease and early coronary artery disease (increasing the risk of heart attacks at a younger age).
Role of the Cardio-Oncology service
The Cardio-Oncology service at The London Clinic plays a key role in preventing the development of complications and manging them if they occur.
Dr Arjun Ghosh is the first Consultant Cardiologist in the UK to be appointed with the specific remit of managing cancer patients with heart problems.
He has now brought this expertise to the London Clinic to enable patients to receive world-class Cardio-Oncology care.
Pre-treatment cardiAC risk assessment
The Cardio-Oncology service can assess the cardiac risk of a patient before the initiation of cancer treatment. The assessment includes a clinical examination followed by specialised cardiac tests e.g. echocardiography (ultrasound scanning of the heart looking at the heart muscle and valves).
Home 24 hour monitoring of the blood pressure and heart rate may be required to further quality cardiac risk. Cardiovascular risk profile blood tests (blood sugar, cholesterol, kidney and liver function) complete the comprehensive assessment.
Monitoring during cardiac treatment
Cancer patients receiving potentially cardiotoxic therapy need to be monitored during the course of their treatment. Monitoring will detect cardiac abnormalities at an early stage to allow the prompt use of cardiac therapy. This may take the form of periodic echocardiography and blood tests. Post-treatment cardiAC late-effects
Patients in the Late Effects setting are followed up to detect cardiac complications months to years after the completion of cancer treatment. These reviews include a clinical examination and history, undertaking appropriate ancillary investigations (e.g. ECG and echocardiography) as required.
Research in Cardio-Oncology
Dr Ghosh is heavily involved in Cardio-Oncology education and research, having published a number of papers in the field and is regularly invited to speak, nationally and internationally on the topic.
Why choose The London Clinic
Excellence in one place
We operate as teams of experts with world-class resources dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of medical care. You are surrounded by the latest treatments and advice with everything you need to get back to your best health.
Personal care, every time
Exceptional patient care is a way of life for us. Our nurses, clinicians and support teams are dedicated to the care of a very small number of patients, so have more time for you. They’ll be with you every step of the way, tailoring your care around you and giving the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing you’re in the best hands.
Effortlessly simple
We work together as one to guide you through each step of your experience, with complexities unravelled and answers readily to hand. Your personal treatment plan will be laid out for you, with all the details taken care of so you can focus on you.
What's included in your package?
Choosing The London Clinic means your treatment plan will be laid out for you, with all the details taken care of so you can focus on you.
Your treatment package will include:
- Enhanced pre-admission assessment
- Your treatment with our complete care team at your fingertips
- Personalised aftercare and follow-up
We want you to be in control of your health. That’s why we also offer optional services such as comprehensive recovery packages and extra touches for you to choose from during your stay with us.
How to pay
- You can use private medical insurance (PMI) to access this treatment. We work with all major PMI providers in the UK and many internationally
- You can pay for yourself (self-pay)
- If you’re paying for yourself, we have finance options available with Chrysalis