Prof. Dr. med. univ. Bonni Syeda
Specialist for Internal Medicine and Cardiology
Vienna University Department of Internal Medicine II (Cardiology), AKH-Vienna

Medical office: Privatklinik Döbling
1190 Wien, Heiligenstädter Straße 46-48
Tel: 0699/ 194 653 18

For appointments please call:
Phone:
0699 194 653 18
Fax:
02243 20 675
www.kardiologie-praxis.at

Cardiologic check-up in my office

• Physical examination including diagnosis and therapy plan (eg. blood pressure regulation).
• Laboratory diagnostics: Blood count, electrolyte, metabolic parameters, parameters for heart-/circulation system-/vascular diseases (e.g. homocysteine, Lp-a (lipoprotein)), cholesterol/triglycides, blood sugar level, liver function test, kidney function test, thyroid values, and hormone analysis, tumor markers if needed.
• Resting ECG: Provides an indication of acute circulatory disorder, recent heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmia and conditions of the myocardial muscle.
• Colour duplex sonography (heart ultrasound): The echocardiograph provides a relatively precise image of the heart by means of ultrasound. Heart function and valves become immediately visible on the monitor. This way, disturbances in the function of the heart and valvular malfunctions can be diagnosed. Evaluation of lung pressure is also possibly through echocardiographic investigation.
  
  For this transthoracic echocardiography, the head of the ultrasound is placed at the anterior thorax wall while the patient is lying on the examination table. The examiner positions the head of the ultrasound against the various parts of the heart to obtain an image as precise as possible of the heart structures to be depicted on the screen.
  
  
• Analysis of risk factors and their valuation including an assessment of the individual heart attack risk and risk for other cardiovascular conditions.
  
  
  

If needed further external investigative diagnostic examinations can be arranged for

• Ergometry (Stress ECG): Stress ECG is used as routine examination for early recognition of circulatory disorders caused by stenosis of the coronary vessels. Under physical stress oxygen deficiency of the heart becomes visible on the ECG.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Stress ECG shows:
  • Maximum heart rate (to asses exercise frequency)
  • Increase of heart rate and blood pressure
  • Stress arrhythmia
  • Circulatory disorders
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 24 hour ECG: Many forms of arrhythmia cannot be seen on a regular ECG, as they occur infrequently and usually at home, partly even at night. To monitor for such arrhythmia, the patient is given a monitoring device to take home.
  
  These 24-hour-ECGs monitor the heart rate for a period of 20 – 24 hours. This recording can be evaluated later in the doctor’s office, to give information on the type of arrhythmia, and thus enables the physician to treat accordingly.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 24 hour blood pressure monitoring: Blood pressure underlies heavy fluctuation in most humans and equally depends on the psychological state. Some patients exhibit elevated blood pressure at doctor´s office (white coat syndrome). Home blood pressure measurement gives precise information on the blood pressure situation of a patient, as blood pressure is read several times each hour over the course of 20 – 24 hours. The cuff is worn for this period, blood pressure reading is automatic. Evaluation by the physician will indicate if treatment is needed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Chest x-ray: Chest radiography depicts the internal organs of the thoracic cavity, i.e. lungs, heart and artery. Radiation dose is very low and gives important information on lung conditions, abnormal heart enlargement, abnormal dilation of the arteria etc.
  
  
  
• Measurement of coronary calcium deposit/ cardiac computer tomography (CT): Measurement of coronary calcium deposit or image of the coronary arteries by means of computer tomography. This is also referred to as minimal invasive virtual intracardiac catheter. The cardiac CT provides a three dimensional image of the heart and shows any alterations of the vessel wall in its early stages. The physician can so judge whether the plaque is composed of fibrous tissue, fat cells or calcium and also whether the deposit is causing stenosis of the vessel. The patient is placed in the CT tube for a few minutes; the examination itself only takes a couple of seconds. Beforehand, a contrast agent is injected into an arm vessel, which is used to depict any stenosed areas in the heart.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Pulmonary function test: Conditions of the lung and the bronchi usually lead to breathing problems.
  
  By measuring the tidal volume with special devices the physician gains an insight on the type of lung condition the patient is suffering from.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Myocardscintigraphy: Myocardscintigraphy combined with a pharmacological (drug) stress test is a highly sensitive, non-invasive method to assess and localize circulatory disorders (ischemia) of the myocardial muscle. A low radiation substance is injected into a vein and gets distributed through the body, where it primarily collects in the myocardial muscle. The special camera of this nuclear medicine examination shows the radioactivity in the heart muscle, which is measured and depicted graphically to provide an image of the current circulatory situation.
  
  Frequent indications for myocardscintigraphy are:
  • Suspected coronary artery disease with a high clinical probability
  • Questions related to the relevance of stenosis in patients with known coronary artery disease
  • Differentiating between scar tissue and reversible ischemia of the myocardial muscle after revascularization interventions (PTCA, bypass surgery)
  • Rarely to assess left ventricular pumping function of the heart