Programs & Units

Specialized Clinics

Cardiology operates a number of specialized clinics that address various conditions and risk factors for heart disease. These clinics allow us to provide care and monitor patients in targeted settings. More information is available on the individual clinic pages:

• Acute Referral Clinic
• Adult Congenital Heart Clinic 
• Anticoagulation Clinic
• Arrythmia Clinic
• Cardiovascular Infectious Disease Clinic
• Heart Function Clinic
• Hypertension Clinic 
• Inherited Arrythmia Clinic
• Lipid Clinic 
• Pacemaker/Defibrillator Clinic
• Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic

Cardiology Programs

Diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular problems is highly complex. Our cardiologists specialize in different areas such as diagnosis, prevention, or interventional procedures. The Heart Institute is a leader and pioneer in many of these areas, and our work has evolved into successful programs:

Cardiac catheterization allows physicians to identify obstructions in the coronary arteries by threading a catheter through the blood vessels. The Heart Institute conducts a total of 6,000 of these procedures annually. Interventional cardiologists treat coronary artery disease with catheter-based techniques to open arterial blockages.

• Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) involves inflating a balloon, often accompanied by a stent, in arteries to open blood flow and supply oxygen to the heart.
• Percutaneous Aortic Valve Replacement is the replacement a heart valve through a catheter to restore normal cardiac function. Our medical team uniquely combines the skills of cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology to perform this procedure.
• ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Protocol, developed at the Heart Institute specifies that paramedics identify patients with a STEMI heart attack and have them transported directly to the Heart Institute for urgent treatment such as PCI. This program has cut mortality rates by 50 per cent.

Electrophysiology is the medical specialty of heart rhythms. The Heart Institute is nationally recognized for experience, research and advances in the management of patients who have faulty electrical signals in the heart.

• Cardiac device therapy involves the use of pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy to treat patients with heart rhythm disorders.
• A catheter ablation uses a catheter threaded into heart to reach and destroy abnormal heart tissue in order to restore regular heart rhythm.

Cardiac imaging gives physicians an image of the heart and its function to aid in diagnosing a particular disorder.

• Computed tomography (CT) uses an injected dye and X-rays to highlight blood vessels and arteries. CT shows slices of the heart and a computer compiles the images to show the entire heart.
• Echocardiography uses sound waves to measure the speed, rhythm and strength of the heart beat.
• Nuclear cardiology employs injected radiotracers that are detected by special cameras to produce images showing heart function. Positron emission tomography (PET), and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) use different types of radiotracers to create an image of heart function.
• The Stress Test Laboratory uses electrocardiograms (ECG) to understand the electrical activity of the heart at rest and at high activity when a person is on a treadmill.

See the dedicated Cardiac Imaging section for more information.