Echocardiography refers to capturing an ultrasound of your heart. 

What is an Echocardiograph? 

An echocardiograph or simply an “echo” refers to the ultrasound of your heart. An Echo captures the sound waves from your heart to create a detailed account of heart chambers and other structures. 

Echo is of the following types: 

• Transthoracic Echo or TTE: it provides an image of the heart from the front of the chest. 
• Stress Echo: it is done during or just after the exercise to check how your heart responds to stress. 
• Transoesophageal Echo or TOE: it provides images of the heart from the inside of your oesophagus. 

Why Do You Need an Echo? 

A heart specialist in Gujrat will recommend an echocardiography if you have symptoms of: 

• Heart murmurs. 

• Heart failure. 

• Congenital heart defects. 

Your echo results will provide information such as: 

• How your heart muscle is pumping. 

• Size of your heart. 

• How your heart valves are working. 

• If there are any blood clots inside your heart. 

• If there is any fluid around your heart. 

• If there are problems with your heart’s blood vessels including the aorta. 

What are the Risks of an Echo? 

Echocardiography is a safe and painless procedure with minimal risks. In the case of TOE, you may just experience soreness in the throat after the procedure. 

What Happens During an Echo? 

During the normal Echo procedure: 

• Some sticky dots will be attached to your chest to monitor heart activity. 

• The gel will be applied to the chest. 

• A probe or transducer will be moved around on your chest. 

• Our doctor may also ask you to hold your breath and lie on your side. 

• Images of your heart will be recorded on a computer screen. 

During TOE, you will be certain medication to relax. The back of your mouth will also be numbed before placing a tube with a transducer into your throat. 

What Happens After an Echo? 

If you do not experience anything unusual, you can resume your activities immediately after an echo. In the case of TOE, you will be moved to a recovery room and watched for a few hours to let the numbing medication wear off. You will also be asked to take a sip to check if you can normally eat or drink. 

Stress testing is a means to identify how your heart responds during times when it’s working at its peak, that is, during or just after an exercise. 

What is Stress Testing? 

Stress testing also referred to as exercise stress test helps our doctor in determining how well you respond during or just after exercise. The test is either done while walking on the treadmill or pedalling on a stationary bike while attached to an EKG monitor. The responses captured on the screen help our doctor by measuring: 

• Blood pressure. 

• Heart rate. 

• Electrical activity in your heart. 

• Oxygen levels. 

Why Do You Need Stress Testing? 

You may be recommended a stress testing in case of: 

• Congenital heart disease. 

• Coronary artery disease. 

• Congestive heart failure. 

• Heart valve disease. 

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. 

In addition, it is also crucial for pilots or athletes. 

What Happens During a Stress Testing? 

Stress testing is a safe procedure that takes around up to 30 minutes to 1 hour. During the procedure: 

• Our heart specialist will take your normal vitals including resting heart rate and blood pressure. 

• Small and sticky dots, that is, electrodes will be attached to your chest and arms. The electrodes are connected at one end to the EKG machine. 

• You will be asked to either walk on a treadmill or pedal a stationary bike at an easy pace. 

• Over time, our doctor may also ask you to increase the pace to a manageable level. 

• The test will continue to capture your target heart rate for up to 10-15 minutes.  

• The test may be halted if you experience severe symptoms or feel dizzy. 

What Happens After a Stress Testing? 

Once the test is completed, our doctors will monitor your symptoms, heart rate, blood pressure, and ECG until it returns to a normal range. After your heart rate has recovered, you may return home. 

A Holter monitor is a device that records your heartbeats. 

What is a Holter Monitor? 

A Holter monitor consists of electrodes, wires, and a small machine attached to your waistband. This helps in recording your heartbeats. 

Why Do You Need Holter Monitoring? 

You may require Holter monitoring if our doctor suspects any problem with your heart rate or rhythm. Other reasons include: 

• Dizziness. 

• Fainting. 

• Chest pain. 

• Shortness of breath. 

• Arrhythmia or irregular heartbeats. 

What are the Risks of Holter Monitoring? 

Holter monitoring is a safe procedure with no significant risks. Some people, however, may experience minor skin irritation from the electrodes. 

What Happens During Holter Monitoring? 

Holter monitoring is a safe, painless, and straightforward procedure during which: 

1. Electrodes will be attached to your chest. 

2. Electrodes will be further connected to a small Holter machine device. 

While our doctors fit the device on your waistband, you will need to: 

• Keep wearing it during your usual activities. 

• Keep it on at all times including sleep. 

• Keep a diary and jot down all your daily activities and the time spent on them. 

• Record any unusual symptoms including dizziness, chest pain, or shortness of breath. 

What Happens After Holter Monitoring? 

After one or two days of attaching a Holter device, you will be asked to visit Aayush Hospital in Morbi. Our heart specialist will remove the device, analyze the results, and recommend further treatment.

A coronary angiography or coronary angiogram is a procedure that deep dives into your coronary arteries to check if they are narrowed or blocked with the help of an X-ray dye. 

Why Do You Need a Coronary Angiogram? 

Our best heart specialist in Morbi may recommend a coronary angiogram if you are suspected to have coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease occurs when arteries supplying blood to your heart are laden with fatty substances or plaque. This accumulation causes your arteries to become hard and narrow which leads to less blood supply to your heart.  

Apart from this, the procedure may also be recommended to investigate other heart problems including heart valve disease. 

Are There Any Risks with Coronary Angiography? 

The procedure is comparatively safe with fewer associated risks. The most common risk includes a little bruising or swelling at the puncture site. 

Uncommon risks include: 

• Bleeding 

• Abnormal heart rhythms 

• Allergic reaction to the X-ray dye 

• Heart attack or stroke 

• Infection 

• Reduced kidney function 

• Injury to the artery 

What Happens During a Coronary Angiography? 

Coronary angiography takes place in a cardiac operating theatre. The procedure is simple and takes less than an hour. During the procedure, our doctor will: 

• Give you a local anaesthetic to numb your wrist or groin region. 

• Gently insert a catheter into your artery from the wrist or groin and move it inside the artery reaching up to your heart. 

• Inject a dye into your arteries. 

• Take x-rays as the dye travels through the blood vessels to check the narrowing or blockage of arteries. 

• Remove the catheter and apply gentle pressure on the site where it was inserted. 

What Happens After a Coronary Angiography? 

After your coronary angiography, our nurse will apply a dressing to the punctured area and you will be moved to a recovery room. You may observe some tenderness, soreness, or bruising in the area. This would, however, be transient and will go away after two weeks. Based on the results from your coronary angiography, our doctors will discuss further treatment procedures with you.

Coronary angioplasty and stenting are cardiac procedures that open narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. 

What are Coronary Angioplasty and Stenting? 

Angioplasty and stenting are two procedures that open narrow or blocked coronary arteries.  

During an angioplasty, our doctor will widen your blocked artery with a balloon. On the other hand, the artery would be widened with a wire mesh or stent during stenting. 

Why Do You Need Angioplasty and Stenting? 

Our doctors may recommend angioplasty and stenting to: 

• Identify blockages visible in your coronary angiography. 

• Diagnose and treat coronary artery disease. 

• Reduce the amount of heart muscle damage if you have had a heart attack previously. 

What are the Risks of Angioplasty and Stenting? 

Angioplasty and stenting are comparatively safer and do not have many risks. The common risks include: 

• Allergy to the dye. 

• Bleeding or bruising in the area where a catheter is inserted. 

• Re-narrowing of your artery. 

• Blood clot inside the stent. 

What Happens During Angioplasty and Stenting? 

 The procedure is simple and takes less than an hour. During the procedure, our doctor will: 

• Give you a local anaesthetic to numb your wrist or groin. 

• Gently insert a guide wire into an artery through the wrist or groin which is moved inside the artery till your heart. 

• Inject a dye into the coronary arteries. 

• Take an X-ray to check the narrowing of the coronary artery. 

• Push a catheter with a tiny balloon on the end over the guide wire. 

• Inflate and deflate the balloon several times at the location of the blockage. 

• Put a stent and a tiny balloon to expand the mesh and keep the artery open. 

• Deflate the balloon and remove the catheter. 

What Happens After Angioplasty and Stenting? 

After your angioplasty and stenting, you will be moved to a recovery area. You may observe a little tenderness or soreness at the puncture site. This would, however, be transient and go away after two weeks

A pacemaker is a small device that helps maintain a healthy heartbeat through electrical impulses. 

What is a Pacemaker? 

A pacemaker is a small device that helps in maintaining a healthy heartbeat with the help of electrical impulses. The device is made up of battery and leads which are placed under the skin on the left or right side of your chest. It sends electrical signals to your heart to help it beat at a normal rate as well as help in increasing your heart beat with exercise. 

Why Do You Need a Pacemaker? 

The best cardiac specialist in Morbi will recommend a pacemaker if you have abnormal heartbeats called arrhythmia. Arrhythmia may occur due to: 

• Ageing. 

• Genetics. 

• Previous history of heart attack. 

• Problems in heart valve or heart muscles. 

• Viral infection of the heart. 

• Previous cardiac surgery. 

What are the Risks of Pacemaker? 

Although pacemakers are generally safe with lesser risks, you may, however, experience some bruising or swelling at the site. Other lesser common risks include: 

• Infection. 

• Movement of pacemaker leads or generator. 

• Blood clots or bleeding. 

• Heart attack or stroke. 

• Heart valve damage. 

• Allergic reaction. 

What Happens During Pacemaker Surgery? 

A pacemaker surgery is conducted in an Electrophysiology lab. Before starting the surgery, our doctor will attach you to heart monitors and insert a cannula in a vein in your arm. During the procedure, our doctor will: 

• Give you a local anaesthetic to numb the collarbone area. 

• Make a small incision near your collarbone to create a pocket for placing the pacemaker battery. 

• Thread the pacemaker leads inside a large vein in the right side of your heart. 

• Fix the end of the lead inside your heart with the help of small screws. 

• Program the pacemaker and perform tests to make sure that it is working fine. 

• Thread the pacemaker battery inside the pocket or under the skin. 

• Close the incision with the help of sutures. 

After your surgery, you may notice a bulge under the skin where the pacemaker has been inserted. 

What Happens After Pacemaker Surgery? 

After the surgery, you will be moved to a recovery area. You may observe a little tenderness, soreness, or bruising at the site of the surgery. This is, however, transient and will go away within a few weeks. 

Cardiac catheterization or coronary angiogram refers to an invasive imaging procedure that allows your doctor to evaluate your heart function.  

Why Do You Need a Cardiac Catheterization? 

You may need a cardiac catheterization to: 

• Find out the reason behind your chest pain or abnormal heart rate. 

• Perform biopsy. 

• Confirm the presence of coronary artery disease or valve disease. 

• Evaluate your heart muscle function. 

• Check your pulmonary arteries. 

• Check your blood flow and oxygen levels. 

What Happens During the Procedure? 

During the procedure, your doctor will: 

• Use a needle to place a catheter into your artery or vein in your arm, neck, or leg. 

• Inject a contrast material through the catheter to create an X-ray. 

The X-rays thus generated help your doctor in finding the site of blockage in your coronary artery, and evaluate the size and shape of your heart chambers. 

What Happens After the Procedure? 

After the procedure, you will be asked to drink plenty of fluids to eliminate the contrast material from your urine. Preferably you can go home on the same day after resting in the hospital for a while. 

What A

re the Risks Associated with Cardiac Catheterization? 

Although rare, the possible risks include: 

• Allergic reaction. 

• Infection. 

• Irregular heart rhythm. 

• Low blood pressure. 

• Collapsed lung. 

• Chest pain or angina. 

• Kidney failure. 

• Damage to the coronary artery.