The Cardiology Department of St. Luke's Hospital is one of the largest and most complete Cardiology centres in Greece and the wider region. The department treats patients with heart diseases of all kinds, including diseases that are characterized as complex or rare. With more than 3500 admissions per year, cardiologists of the department are trained in the entire range of cardiology, such as:

• Hypertension
• Congenital heart disease in adults and children
• Coronary artery disease
• Cardiomyopathies
• Cardiac rhythm disturbances
• Heart valve diseases

Statistics

The top team of clinical and interventional cardiologists of St. Luke's Hospital carries out annually:

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• More than 4300 transthoracic – transoesophageal ultrasounds
• More than 2500 coronary angiography
• More than 700 coronary angioplasties, including acute infarctions
• More than 350 pacemakers – implantable defibrillators
• More than 40 percutaneous aortic valve replacements (TAVI)

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Services offered

• Transthoracic – transoesophageal ultrasound

• Electrophysiological study for the diagnosis of rhythm disturbances
• Ablation of arrhythmogenic foci
  
• Implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators
• Implantation of cardiac resynchronization devices
• Implantation of long-term rhythm monitoring devices
• Coronary angiography
• Percutaneous angioplasty of coronary vessels (balloon), simple and complex lesions
• Percutaneous aortic valve replacement without surgery (TAVI)
• Percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement
• Percutaneous repair of a tricuspid valve
• Percutaneous mitral valve repair (MITRACLIP)
• Coronary angioplasty of coronary vessels
• Percutaneous occlusion of atrial septal defect
• Percutaneous occlusion of interventricular septal defect
• Percutaneous occlusion of the ear of the left atrium
• Percutaneous closure of a patent foramen oval (PFO)
  
• Percutaneous treatment of paravalvular leak

Reliable diagnosis and treatment

Successful treatment begins with an accurate diagnosis. The doctors of the department devote as much time as necessary to each patient, aiming at a valid and right diagnosis. In the department you may undergo several tests so that doctors can identify exactly what is causing your symptoms. The Cardiologists of the department cooperate with doctors of all specialties and especially with the doctors who belong to the wider Department of Heart, which consists of experienced interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons. Thanks to the advanced training in echocardiography, electrophysiology, interventional cardiology and radiology, the department's doctors achieve the best possible treatment for each patient.

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Implementation of the latest achievements in Cardiology

The cardiologists of St. Luke's Hospital are constantly looking for new knowledge to improve the diagnosis and treatment of people with heart diseases. The Hospital's doctors collaborate with researchers worldwide, contributing to the advancement of medical practices that improve the cardiovascular care of patients with heart diseases.

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Percutaneous heart surgery

Percutaneous heart procedures are minimally invasive methods that relieve the patient from the need for a surgical procedure and the risks it entails. These are innovative methods, for which St. Luke's Hospital is famous, performing many of them annually with the help of the department's interventional cardiologists. The percutaneous heart procedures that are performed at the Hospital are the following:

• Percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement
• Percutaneous repair of a tricuspid valve
• Percutaneous mitral valve repair (MITRACLIP)
• Coronary angioplasty of coronary vessels
• Percutaneous aortic valve replacement (TAVI)
• Percutaneous occlusion of atrial septal defect
• Percutaneous occlusion of interventricular septal defect
• Percutaneous occlusion of the ear of the left atrium
• Percutaneous closure of a patent foramen oval (PFO)
  
• Percutaneous treatment of paravalvular leak

Innovative practices in clinical and interventional cardiology

Major innovations of the Department of Cardiology are:

• The performance of complex angioplasty (Rotablation – total blockages).
• The conduct of high-risk angioplasty with mechanical support of the heart.
• The performance of multiple percutaneous aortic valve replacement operations in high-risk patients.

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Placing devices in patients with arrhythmias

Arrhythmias are a very common cardiac phenomenon, which endangers the patient's health and requires immediate medical intervention. They have to do with the rhythm and frequency that the heart beats and are treated with medication or with the placement of special devices.

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At St. Luke's Hospital, the implantation of such devices aims at the proper functioning of the heart. These devices are:

• Artificial pacemakers
• Implantable Defibrillators
• Cardiac resynchronization devices
• Implantable Holter - loop recorder

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The immediate treatment of life-threatening arrhythmias is achieved by the so-called ablation - catheter ablation."

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24-hour medical team

There is a special medical team 24 hours a day, so that patients who experience acute myocardial infarction can immediately undergo coronary angiography examination and angioplasty. A prerequisite is the immediate arrival of the patient at the Hospital.

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