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Cardiology guides
25 plain-English, evidence-linked guides in Cardiology, with clinical review status shown on each page.
24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM))A small cuff and recorder worn for about a day that takes regular blood pressure readings while you go about normal life, to confirm or rule out high blood pressure.Ambulatory ECG (24-hour Holter monitor) (Ambulatory electrocardiogram (Holter monitor))A small, portable monitor worn for 24 hours or longer to record the heart's electrical activity during everyday life, used to capture symptoms or rhythm changes a short ECG might miss.Balloon valvuloplasty (Percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty (valvotomy))A catheter-based procedure that widens a narrowed heart valve by inflating a small balloon inside it, without open-heart surgery.Cardiac MRI (Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (cardiac MRI))A detailed scan of the heart using a strong magnet and radio waves, with no X-ray radiation, to show the heart's structure, pumping and muscle, sometimes with a contrast injection.Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT / biventricular pacemaker) (Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT-P or CRT-D))A procedure to implant a special pacemaker that helps the two pumping chambers of a weakened heart beat together, easing heart-failure symptoms in selected people.Cardiology consultation (Consultation with a cardiologist (heart specialist))An appointment with a cardiologist (a doctor who specialises in the heart) to assess heart symptoms, risk or a known heart condition, and to plan any tests or treatment.Cardiovascular risk assessment (heart health check) (Cardiovascular disease risk assessment)An assessment that estimates your chance of a heart attack or stroke over the next 10 years and helps plan ways to lower it.Catheter ablation for arrhythmia (Catheter ablation (cardiac ablation))A catheter-based procedure that uses heat or freezing to treat the small area of heart tissue causing an abnormal heart rhythm.Coronary angiogram (cardiac catheterisation) (Coronary angiography (cardiac catheterisation))A test where a fine tube is passed through an artery in the wrist or groin to the heart and dye is injected, so X-rays can show whether the coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked.Coronary angioplasty and stenting (PCI) (Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI))A procedure to open a narrowed or blocked heart artery using a small balloon, usually leaving a tiny mesh tube (stent) behind to hold it open.CT coronary angiogram (Coronary CT angiography (CCTA))A detailed CT scan that uses a small injection of dye to show whether the heart's arteries are narrowed or furred up.Draining fluid from around the heart (pericardiocentesis) (Pericardiocentesis (pericardial aspiration))A procedure that uses a fine needle and tube to drain fluid that has built up in the sac around the heart, to relieve pressure on the heart and to help find the cause.Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) (Echocardiography)An ultrasound scan of the heart that shows how well it is pumping and whether the valves and chambers are working normally.Electrical cardioversion (DC cardioversion) (Direct current (DC) cardioversion)A short procedure that uses a carefully timed electric shock, given while you are briefly asleep, to reset an abnormal heart rhythm back to normal.Electrocardiogram (ECG)A quick, usually not painful test that records the heart's electrical activity through small sticky pads on the skin, used to check the heart's rate and rhythm.Event recorder or implantable loop recorder (External event recorder / implantable loop recorder (insertable cardiac monitor))Heart-rhythm monitors that record your heartbeat over weeks to years to catch symptoms, such as blackouts or palpitations, that happen too rarely for a short test to find.Exercise tolerance test (treadmill test) (Exercise tolerance test (exercise electrocardiography / exercise stress test))A recording of your heart's electrical activity and blood pressure while you walk on a treadmill (or pedal a bike), to see how your heart copes with the effort of exercise.Fractional flow reserve (FFR) assessment (Fractional flow reserve (FFR) / pressure-wire study)A test done during a heart angiogram that uses a fine pressure-sensing wire to measure whether a narrowing in a heart artery is actually limiting blood flow.Heart failure management (Medical management of chronic heart failure)Ongoing treatment to control the symptoms of heart failure and protect the heart, using lifestyle changes, medicines, monitoring and sometimes devices — not a one-off operation.High blood pressure management (Management of hypertension (high blood pressure))Ongoing treatment to lower and control high blood pressure using lifestyle changes, monitoring and, where needed, medicines — to reduce the long-term risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney problems.High cholesterol management (Management of hyperlipidaemia (lipid-lowering treatment))Ongoing care to lower raised cholesterol and other blood fats, using lifestyle change and medicines, to reduce the long-term risk of heart attack and stroke.Left atrial appendage closure (Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO))A catheter-based procedure that seals off a small pouch on the heart (the left atrial appendage) to lower the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation, mainly for people who cannot safely take blood-thinning medicines long term.MitraClip (clip repair of a leaky mitral valve) (Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TEER))A catheter-based procedure that fits one or more small clips onto a leaky mitral valve to help it close better, without open-heart surgery — mainly for people who are higher risk for surgery.Myocardial perfusion scan (nuclear cardiology) (Myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT nuclear cardiology))A nuclear medicine scan that uses a small amount of radioactive tracer to show how well blood reaches the heart muscle, at rest and when the heart is made to work harder.Tilt table test (Head-up tilt table test)A test that tilts you from lying to nearly standing on a special table, while your heart rate and blood pressure are watched, to find out why you faint or feel faint.
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