Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - Memorial Sisli Hospital Istanbul

About the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology at Memorial Sisli Hospital Istanbul

The Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology at the Memorial Sisli Hospital Istanbul, Istanbul offers the full range of medical services for prevention, diagnostics and conservative treatment of heart diseases. The doctors successfully use in their clinical practice effective pharmacotherapy regimens, as well as modern interventional procedures that help restore the normal state of the cardiovascular system and avoid more invasive heart surgery. The department includes an advanced Chest Pain Unit, which provides medical care to patients with acute coronary syndrome around the clock. To provide comprehensive treatment, cardiologists cooperate closely with specialists from the Departments of Cardiac Surgery and Vascular Surgery, Radiology and Nuclear Medicine. The department's patients are provided with high-quality and effective treatment, which meets the highest standards of modern cardiology. The Chief Physician of the department is Prof. Dr. med. Sabri Demircan.

Prior to the prescription of therapeutic measures, the department's patients undergo comprehensive diagnostics, with the help of which the attending physician can assess the state of the cardiovascular system, as well as develop an optimal treatment regimen in accordance with the individual clinical indications. The department's doctors have in their arsenal state-of-the-art equipment for electrocardiography, echocardiography, Doppler ultrasonography of the blood vessels, 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring, bicycle ergometer test and treadmill test, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring, tilt table test and other diagnostic examinations. Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is performed in the Department of Nuclear Medicine and the specialists of the Department of Radiology perform cardiac CT and MRI scans. In addition, the department's cardiology team carries out coronary angiography – an invasive examination of the coronary arteries by means of injection of a contrast agent into them through special catheters.

It should be noted that the department uses only effective and modern treatment methods. One of the important innovations of the clinic is enhanced external counter pulsation (EECP). The procedure is a non-surgical method for the treatment of coronary artery disease and heart failure. The main advantage of EECP is the absence of interventional manipulations and side effects. The therapeutic effect is achieved by compressing the legs, thighs and buttocks using special cuffs, which are successively inflated with high pressure air, creating a wave of blood in the arteries. Thus, the pressure in the aortic opening is increased and the blood flow through the coronary vessels is improved. This, in turn, helps to relieve chest pain and improve myocardial function. In addition, the method of enhanced external counter pulsation increases the resistance of a person with cardiac pathology to physical load. The method of enhanced external counter pulsation is approved by the FDA and today it is a medical innovation, which is available only in progressive medical centers.

The department's therapeutic options also include the treatment of arrhythmias using pacemakers and catheter ablation, treatment of aortic valve stenosis using the progressive TAVI technique, therapy of mitral valve stenosis using balloon valvuloplasty and other medical services.

The range of the department's diagnostic and therapeutic services includes:

• Diagnostic procedures, including interventional ones
  • Electrocardiography
  • Echocardiography
  • 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring
  • Bicycle ergometer test
  • Treadmill test
  • 24-hour blood pressure monitoring
  • Tilt table test
  • Cardiac catheterization
  • Coronary angiography
  • Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (in collaboration with the Department of Nuclear Medicine)
  • CT angiography (in collaboration with the Department of Radiology)
  • Cardiac MRI and CT scans (in collaboration with the Department of Radiology)
• Interventional therapeutic procedures
  • Implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators for arrhythmia treatment
  • Catheter ablation for arrhythmia treatment
  • Transcathether aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for aortic valve stenosis treatment
  • Balloon valvuloplasty for mitral valve stenosis treatment
  • Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)
  • Enhanced external counter pulsation (EECP) for the treatment of coronary artery disease and heart failure
  • MitraClip procedure for mitral valve regurgitation treatment when open surgical procedure is contraindicated
  • Interventional procedures to correct atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect and open foramen ovale
• Other diagnostic and therapeutic services