MEDICAL
CARDIOLOGY MEDICAL CENTRE OF THE YEAR IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC
HEART MATTERS MEDICAL CENTRE
The Heart Matters Medical Centre in Singapore treats heart patients and healthy individuals who wish to optimise their cardiac health . Its goal is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases and sudden cardiac death through appropriate cardiac health screening and treatment .
Those with heart disease can benefit from assessments that utilise advanced cardiac equipment and treatment with state-of-the-art therapies , including evidence-based medication and angioplasty . Elite athletes and those taking part in strenuous sporting activities or competitions should also be effectively screened to understand their heart function prior to these events .
Dr Dinesh Nair , the principal cardiologist at Heart Matters Medical Centre , has been in medical practice for 25 years and in cardiology for more than 20 years . His subspeciality is interventional cardiology , in particular complex angioplasty and stenting procedures . Interventional cardiology involves using minimally invasive techniques to pass catheters , wires , balloons , stents , and other devices into the body through small incisions or cuts to treat cardiac problems .
Dr Nair performs the majority of his angioplasty procedures ( ballooning and stenting ) via the radial artery as it reduces the risk of bleeding and other complications . He also performs some cases via the femoral artery approach when the situation warrants it . He has extensive experience with complex techniques , including intravascular imaging such as Intravascular Ultrasound ( IVUS ), Optical Coherence
Dr Dinesh Nair with Varun Panjwani
Tomography ( OCT ) imaging , and Rotablation . He performs angioplasty for left coronary artery main disease , chronic total occlusions , bifurcations , and calcified lesions .
The centre ’ s dedicated team also offers the following services to aid in detecting and determining treatment for cardiovascular diseases :
• 12-lead electrocardiogram ( ECG ) captures the electrical activity of the heart , externally , at a point of time and is recorded by electrodes placed on the skin . The ECG is essential for the diagnosis and management of abnormal cardiac rhythms .
• The treadmill exercise involves walking or running on a treadmill machine while recording the patient ’ s ECG and blood pressure throughout the test . This allows the evaluation of blood supply to the heart during different levels of exercise intensity and monitors any sustained abnormal rhythm and blood pressure changes with exercise stress .
• Echocardiography uses ultrasound energy that is directed over the chest wall to obtain images of the heart . This can help determine if the heart muscle and valves are functioning properly .
• A carotid ultrasound uses sound waves to create pictures of the insides of the two large arteries in the neck . It is able to show whether plaque , a substance that builds up and narrows the carotid arteries , is present in these vessels . This can give a more accurate assessment of cardiovascular risk .
• Holter monitoring involves a portable device that enables continuous monitoring of the electrical activity of the heart . Recordings last for more than 24 hours , making it much more likely to detect an abnormal heart rhythm . The centre ’ s clinic houses equipment that can monitor heart rhythms for two weeks or more , allowing doctors to monitor pacemakers , determine how well medications are working , and evaluate the patient ’ s ECG during episodes of chest pain .
• Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is done by taking blood pressure ( BP ) readings over a 24- or 48-hour period . BP monitoring is beneficial for adjusting doses of medication for high blood pressure , diagnosing high blood pressure , differentiating high blood pressure and white coat hypertension , and even predicting cardiac events in certain patients .
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