A cardiologist is a doctor who is specialised in diagnosing and treating diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Along with noninvasive techniques such as stress testing, ultrasound and nuclear techniques, Cardiologists will also perform cardiac catheterization, including performing balloon angioplasty and the placement of stents for patients in need.

Your blood pressure reading has 2 values. The first (higher value) is called Systolic Blood Pressure and denotes the pressure in your arteries when the heart is in full contraction. The second (lower value) is the Diastolic Blood Pressure and denotes the pressure in your arteries when the heart is relaxed. According to the American Heart Association, normal blood pressure should not exceed 130/80mmHg.

Heart attack is a life-threatening condition where the blood flow to the heart’s muscles are stopped due to one or many clots in the coronary arteries (arteries which supply blood to the heart muscles).  

Echocardiogram is a non-invasive technique to look at the structure and function of the heart. Sound waves are emitted from the echocardiography machine which are reflected from the various structures inside the heart and give an approximation of the anatomy, physiology and pathology (if any).

Syncope or “funny turns” are when someone loses consciousness for a short period of time. This can be due to a number of factors, both neurological as well as cardiological. Many medications can also cause syncope.

Arrhythmia, as the name suggests, refers to abnormalities in the heart rhythm, i.e. problems with the electrical activities of the heart. While in some cases a simple 12 lead ECG is enough to diagnose arrhythmias, some intermittent conditions require 24 to 48 hours Holter monitoring or even Electrophysiological Study.