Cardiology
Cardiology is the medical specialty dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the heart including Ischaemic Heart Disease, Arrhythmia, Structural and Valve Disease and Hypertension.
Cardiology services at Bedford Hospital include a dedicated coronary care unit in the main ward block, cardiology outpatients and investigations, a cardiac catheterisation and intervention suite and a cardiac rehabilitation service in Beeden House. The department employs over seventy members of staff, including five consultant cardiologists, cardiology specialist nurses, technicians and radiographers.
Outpatients Clinics
The department runs a number of outpatient clinics in Beeden House and sees adult patients with a range of cardiology problems.
Patients are referred by their general practitioner (GP). Those with suspected angina of recent onset will be seen in a special angina clinic within two weeks of referral, and will receive a full assessment at a single appointment.
Cardiac Catheterisation Suite
The department also boasts a state of the art cardiac catheterisation suite which is used for diagnostic angiograms and implantation of pacemakers and coronary intervention. This allows us to place stents within narrowed arteries. We have close links with Papworth Hospital where our patients have cariothoracic surgery. Bedford Hospital provides the necessary follow-up and rehabilitation for all its patients post myocaridal infarction and post coronary intervention and bypass surgery.
Coronary Care Unit
Bedford Hospital has its own dedicated cornoary care unit which is based on the main ward block and cares mainly for acute cardiac patients. You can find out more about the unit by clicking on the below link.
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Cardiac rehabilitation is a structured program of care to help patients slow or even reverse the progression of coronary disease through changes in lifestyle and appropriate use of medication. Many people are shaken when they realise that they have a life threatening illness and an equally important part of rehabilitation is to help patients overcome their fears and become fully active. At Bedford Hospital we offer the programme to patients that have had a heart attack, cardiac surgery and in house angioplasty. Patients will attend for an assessment clinic and then will be booked on to attend eight weekly out-patients sessions which included exercise, relaxation and health education. Patients who have had cardiac events out of area can be referred in to the cardiac rehabilitation team.
Contact Us
You can contact the cardiology reception via: 01234 795996
Staff
The L&D’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU) has 17 qualified nurses and a 13 bed ward with 6 beds for patients who have acute cardiac complications. There are an additional 20 Cardiology beds on Ward 16.
Since the opening of our state of the art Cardiac Centre, a 9 bed day unit, we are able to provide a diagnostic angiography and coronary intervention service (stents). We also provide a Cardiac Pacing Service as well as being able to perform Specialist Echo Examinations.
The Cardiac Rehabilitation Team consists of a range of healthcare professionals including Nurses, a Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist and a Dietician who can provide an individualised programme of exercise, education and relaxation. The aim of cardiac rehabilitation is to promote recover and reduce further risk of heart disease and also to restore confidence following a cardiac event, treatment or diagnosis.
The services of some of our Cardiology Consultants are also available privately through the L&D’s Cobham Clinic.
Clinics
A number of clinics are run by the Cardiology team including:
- General Cardiology clinics (new and follow up)
- Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic
- Rapid Access Suspected Heart Failure Clinic
- Specialist Arrhythmia Clinic
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Open Access Echo Clinic
Procedures Arranged On Site
- Twelve lead ECGs
- Transthoracic Echocardiogram
- Specialist echocardiogram including stress echo and transoesphageal echo
- 1-7 day ECG recording
- Cardiac event recording
- Exercise testing
- Tilt testing
- 24 hour blood pressure monitoring
- CT coronary angiography
- Myocardial perfusion scanning (performed in the Nuclear Medicine Department)
- Diagnostic coronary angiography
- Coronary angioplasty (stents)
- Cardiac pacing and monitoring service
- DC Cardioversion
Procedures Arranged Off Site
- Complex device insertion
- Electrophysiological studies and intervention
- Cardiac MRI
Coronavirus advice:
www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health