Service Details

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals have a department specialising in cardiac physiology - investigations and monitoring requested by a consultant, GP or specialist nurse in charge of your care.

Your appointment letter will let you know whether you need to stop any medication before your test.

Your appointment will be in the Cardiorespiratory Unit in the blue zone on the ground floor at Maidstone Hospital or Outpatients zone 1 on level 0 at Tunbridge Wells Hospital.

Your investigations might include:

Ultrasound imaging of the heart (echocardiography)

Echocardiography uses ultrasound to build a moving picture of your heart. Once the test is complete the physiologist will review the images, and put together a report. The images are also stored for future review by a cardiologist if required.

In addition to a transthoracic echocardiogram we provide:

Contrast echocardiography

Contrast echocardiography, which provides detail that would not normally be visible. There are two types of contrast scan:

• Bubble study, where salty water is injected into a vein. The test helps see if the bubbles can be seen in the left side of your heart which would suggest there is communication between the two sides of your heart.
• Contrast echocardiography uses a special ultrasound contrast agent is injected into a vein to give an accurate measure of how well your heart is pumping.

A transoesophageal echocardiogram passes a small probe down behind your heart via your food pipe (oesophagus).

Electrocardiography (ECG)

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a painless test where up to 10 small stickers (electrodes) are positioned on your arms, legs and chest to pick up the very tiny electrical impulses that make the heart contract, giving us lots of information, such as your heart rhythm.

A standard ECG is commonly requested and may be performed each time you come to clinic. It only takes a few minutes.

• A stress test is an ECG is recorded while you walk on a treadmill, it is most commonly requested if your symptoms are suggestive of angina.
• An ambulatory ECG is recorded over a longer period of time, from 24 hours up to seven days if needed. It is used to investigate symptoms such as palpitations or dizzy spells that happen infrequently. If your palpitations are very infrequent a loop recorder may be requested that can be worn for even longer.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

This measures your blood pressure over a longer period and in your own environment. A single measurement in clinic will not give us the same information as multiple readings over the day and night.

You will be asked to wear a monitor and a cuff for 24 hours, the cuff will inflate every 30 minutes during the day, and once an hour overnight. When the data is downloaded and analysed, a report will be given to the doctor who requested it.

Pacemaker clinic

If you have a pacemaker, implantable defibrillator or an implantable loop recorder you will be followed up in our pacemaker clinic where we will check your device and ensure it is working optimally. This is done by performing some simple tests on the device, reviewing any stored information and by talking to you.

With newer generations of pacemaker these checks can be done online. Instead of getting a letter inviting to a hospital appointment, the letter will ask you to download the information in your pacemaker, and we will review the data on the date stated in the letter.

Once you have had your pacemaker implanted we will explain how to transfer the information to the clinic.