Cardiology — Town Hospital
Town Hospital's Cardiology department in the Fifth Settlement, New Cairo, offers advanced diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease, rhythm disorders, blood pressure problems and heart failure, with ECG, echocardiography, stress testing and Holter monitoring in the hospital, a diagnostic and therapeutic cath lab open 24 hours, leading consultant cardiologists and a 24-hour emergency department.
What we treat
Doctors — Cardiology
Cardiology at Town Hospital: an overview
Town Hospital's Cardiology department in the Fifth Settlement, New Cairo, diagnoses and treats heart and vascular disease, from chest pain, breathlessness and palpitations to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart failure. The department's doctors specialise in cardiology, vascular medicine and catheterisation; you will find them in the list of doctors above.
The core heart tests are available in the hospital, including the ECG, the exercise (stress) ECG, the echocardiogram and the Holter monitor, and the cath lab, diagnostic and therapeutic, is open 24 hours a day with a Philips bi-plane system. The emergency department, the laboratory and radiology also run 24 hours a day, and the outpatient clinics are open every day from 10 am to 10 pm; each cardiologist's clinic days and times are shown in the up-to-date clinic schedule.
Conditions the cardiology department looks after
The diagnosis and the choice of treatment remain the cardiologist's decision after the consultation and tests. These are the conditions patients most often come to the department with.
Chest pain and angina
Angina is pain or pressure in the chest that usually comes on with exertion or emotion and settles with rest; it is caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscle through narrowed coronary arteries. Not all chest pain comes from the heart, though: acid reflux, the chest-wall muscles or anxiety can also cause it, which is why assessment starts with a consultation and an ECG, and the doctor may request an echocardiogram, a stress test or blood tests. Read about angina: symptoms, causes and treatment and about chest twinges and when chest pain is serious.
Heart attack
A heart attack happens when one of the coronary arteries is suddenly blocked. The typical symptom is pressing pain in the centre of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes and may spread to the arm, jaw or back, with breathlessness, heavy sweating or nausea. Symptoms can be less obvious in women, older people and people with diabetes. Time matters: every delay means more heart muscle lost, so call an ambulance on 123 or go to the nearest emergency department straight away. Town Hospital's cath lab is open 24 hours a day. Read about heart attack warning signs.
High and low blood pressure
High blood pressure usually causes no symptoms, yet it raises the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease, which is why it is found by regular measurement rather than by how you feel. Treatment relies on lifestyle changes, such as less salt, physical activity and weight loss, together with blood-pressure medicines whose class the doctor chooses according to your condition and any other illnesses; never stop one or change its dose on your own. Low blood pressure with dizziness or fainting needs an assessment to find the cause. Read about high blood pressure: symptoms, causes and control and about low blood pressure: symptoms, causes and what to do.
Palpitations and rhythm disorders
A racing or pounding heart can be brief and harmless with anxiety, stimulants or a fever, or it can point to a rhythm disorder that needs treatment, such as atrial fibrillation, which raises the risk of stroke if it is not treated. Diagnosis relies on the ECG and on the Holter monitor, which records the heart rhythm over 24 hours when symptoms come and go. The classes of medicine the doctor may choose from include rate-control medicines and, for those patients with atrial fibrillation who need them, anticoagulants, which are taken only on prescription and with medical follow-up because they increase the risk of bleeding. Read about the causes of a fast heart rate and about atrial fibrillation: symptoms and treatment.
Heart failure
Heart failure, or a weak heart muscle, means the heart does not pump blood as well as it should, causing breathlessness on exertion or when lying flat, swollen ankles and tiredness. It is diagnosed with a consultation, an echocardiogram and blood tests, and treatment aims to ease the symptoms and slow the condition down, with medicines the doctor chooses and regular monitoring of weight, salt and fluids. Sudden severe breathlessness or chest pain needs the nearest emergency department straight away. Read about the symptoms of a weak heart muscle.
Cholesterol and atherosclerosis
High cholesterol causes no symptoms, but over time it contributes to hardening and narrowing of the arteries. It is assessed with a blood lipid profile, and treatment relies on diet and physical activity, with cholesterol-lowering medicines when the doctor judges that the level of risk calls for them, taking into account age, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and family history. Read about cholesterol and atherosclerosis.
Heart valve disease
Valve disease may be found because the doctor hears a murmur with the stethoscope, or because of breathlessness, tiredness or dizziness on exertion. The echocardiogram diagnoses it and measures its effect, the cardiologist follows the condition with regular checks, and discusses the suitable treatment options with you when the condition calls for an intervention.
Heart tests in the hospital
- ECG: a quick recording of the heart's electrical activity that helps assess chest pain and rhythm disorders.
- Exercise (stress) ECG: records the ECG and blood pressure during gradually increasing effort, to assess chest pain that comes on with exertion and how much exercise you can manage.
- Echocardiogram: an ultrasound scan that shows how the heart muscle moves, how well it pumps and the state of the valves.
- Holter monitor: a small recorder that captures the heart rhythm over 24 hours during your normal day.
- Blood tests: such as blood fats and blood sugar, in a laboratory open 24 hours a day.
You will find these tests, with imaging and laboratory services, on the Diagnostics page. If you would like an organised heart check, the Heart Health Package brings together a cardiology consultation, an ECG, an echocardiogram, a blood lipid profile and a blood pressure check, with a stress test as an optional add-on when it is needed.
Cardiac catheterisation: diagnostic and therapeutic
Cardiac catheterisation is done through a small opening at the wrist or the top of the thigh; it is not open surgery. Diagnostic catheterisation shows the coronary arteries and where a narrowing or blockage is and how far it extends, while therapeutic catheterisation deals with the narrowing itself by widening it and placing a stent when needed. A procedure may start as diagnostic and continue as therapeutic in the same session if the doctor judges it right, after discussing that possibility with you beforehand. Before catheterisation, the doctor explains its expected benefits, possible risks and the alternatives. More details on the cath lab page.
When you need emergency care straight away
Call an ambulance on 123 or go to the nearest emergency department straight away for:
- Pressing or tight pain in the centre of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or spreads to the arm, jaw or back.
- Chest pain with breathlessness, heavy sweating, nausea or dizziness.
- Sudden severe breathlessness, or breathlessness that stops you lying flat.
- Fainting, or a fast heartbeat with dizziness or chest pain.
- Sudden weakness on one side of the body, or a sudden change in speech or vision.
Do not drive yourself if you think you may be having a heart attack, and do not wait for the symptoms to pass.
Your care, step by step
- Consultation: the doctor asks about your symptoms and risk factors, such as blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and family history, reviews any previous tests, measures your blood pressure and examines your heart.
- Tests: the ECG, echocardiogram, stress test, Holter monitor and blood tests your case needs, all done in the hospital.
- Decision: the doctor explains the diagnosis and the treatment options, from lifestyle changes and medicines to catheterisation when needed, and the decision is made together with you.
- Catheterisation: when needed, it is done in the cath lab; you stay under observation afterwards and the doctor explains what was found and the next step.
- Follow-up: regular checks of blood pressure, blood fats, blood sugar and medicines; never stop a medicine on your own.
The hospital is contracted with more than 40 payers, including insurance companies, professional syndicates and government bodies, and cover depends on the payer and the terms of the contract.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Cardiology department offer?
Town Hospital's Cardiology department assesses heart and vascular disease and follows its treatment. Tests available in the hospital include the ECG, the exercise (stress) ECG, the echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) and the Holter monitor, which records the heart rhythm over 24 hours. The department manages high blood pressure, rhythm disorders, high cholesterol and heart failure; the diagnostic and therapeutic cath lab is open 24 hours a day, and so is the emergency department.
When should I have my heart assessed?
A heart assessment is advisable if you have shortness of breath on exertion, chest pain or pressure, recurrent palpitations, dizziness or fainting, or swollen ankles. It is also worthwhile if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, if you smoke, or if close relatives developed heart disease at a young age. After examining you, the doctor decides which tests your case needs.
What is the difference between an ECG and an echocardiogram?
An ECG records the heart's electrical activity in a few minutes and helps detect rhythm disorders and some signs of reduced blood supply or an earlier heart attack. An echocardiogram is an ultrasound scan that shows the size of the heart's chambers, how the muscle moves, how well it pumps and the state of the valves. Both are painless and use no radiation; the doctor decides what your case needs, and many cases need both.
Does chest pain always mean a heart problem?
No. Chest pain has many causes that are not the heart, including acid reflux, strained chest-wall muscles and anxiety. But pressing or tight pain in the centre of the chest, pain with breathlessness, heavy sweating or nausea, or pain that spreads to the arm, jaw or back needs an ambulance on 123 or the nearest emergency department straight away, because fast treatment of a heart attack protects the heart muscle. Do not wait for a clinic appointment.
What is a stress test, and who needs one?
A stress test records the ECG and blood pressure during gradually increasing physical effort, to show whether the heart gets enough blood when it works harder. It is usually requested to assess chest pain that comes on with exertion, to measure exercise capacity, or to follow up some people with coronary artery disease. It does not suit everyone: the doctor decides whether you need it and explains the preparation, including comfortable clothes and shoes and what to do about your usual medicines on the day.
What does a Holter monitor do?
A Holter monitor is a small recorder attached to the chest with sticky electrodes that you wear through your normal day, recording the heart rhythm over 24 hours. It helps diagnose palpitations, dizziness or fainting that come and go and so do not show up on an ordinary ECG. You will be asked to note the times of any symptoms and what you were doing, then return the device so the doctor can read the recording.
Does every narrowed artery need a stent?
No. Many cases of stable narrowing in the coronary arteries are treated with medicines and lifestyle changes, such as stopping smoking and controlling blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol. Therapeutic catheterisation with a stent is considered when a significant narrowing causes symptoms that do not improve with treatment, or during an acute heart attack, and the cardiologist decides after the tests and a diagnostic catheterisation. Before any procedure, the doctor explains its expected benefits, possible risks and the alternatives.
Will I have to take blood pressure and heart medicines for life?
It depends on the condition. High blood pressure, heart failure and coronary artery disease are usually long-term conditions and often need long-term treatment, such as the various classes of blood-pressure medicines, cholesterol-lowering medicines and, in certain cases, antiplatelet medicines, which increase the risk of bleeding and should be started or stopped only on medical advice. The doctor chooses the class that suits your condition and any other illnesses, and may adjust the treatment as your condition changes and your lifestyle improves. What matters is not to stop any medicine or change its dose on your own, and to keep your follow-up appointments.