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Cardiology | Te Tai Tokerau (Northland)
Public Service, Cardiology
Description
What is Cardiology?
Cardiology is the specialty within medicine that looks at the heart and blood vessels. Your heart consists of four chambers, which are responsible for pumping blood to your lungs and then the rest of your body. The study of the heart includes the heart muscle (the myocardium), the valves within the heart between the chambers, the blood vessels that supply blood (and hence oxygen and nutrients) to the heart muscle, and the electrical system of the heart which is what controls the heart rate.
Referral Expectations
If you have an urgent problem requiring immediate cardiological assessment, you will be referred acutely to on-call physician from the Department of Medicine, where you will initially be seen by the Registrar (trainee specialist), who will decide whether you need to be admitted to the hospital. Investigations will be performed as required, and more senior team members will be involved where necessary.
If the problem is not urgent, your GP will refer you to one of our clinics if they are concerned about your heart and want a specialist opinion. The referral is prioritised depending on urgency.
You may be sent a questionnaire before your clinic visit to assist us with making a diagnosis and determining if any tests need to be done before you see a specialist.
At your clinic appointment, you will be seen by a member of the cardiology team who will ask questions about your illness and examine you to determine or confirm the diagnosis. This process may require several tests (e.g. blood tests, x-rays, scans etc.). Depending on your condition, this could all be done during one clinic visit, otherwise several follow-up appointments may be needed. You may be seen by a Nurse Practitioner (An experienced senior nurse with prescribing capacity) or a registrar or specialist.
Once a diagnosis has been made, the medical staff will discuss treatment with you. They will write to your GP with advice and may or may not arrange for you to attend a follow-up clinic.
Please bring any clinical information that you have that may be helpful for the specialist to your appointment, including:
- Any letters or reports from your doctor or another hospital.
- Any X-Rays, CT or MRI films and reports.
- All medicines you currently take, including herbal and natural remedies.
- Your pharmaceutical entitlement card.
Procedures / Treatments / Common Conditions
Blood Tests
Blood Tests
Coronary Angiogram
Coronary Angiogram
Cardiac Arrhythmias
Cardiac Arrhythmias
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular Disease
Echocardiogram
Echocardiogram
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Heart Failure
Heart Failure
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Valve Disease
Valve Disease
Website
Contact Details
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Phone
(09) 405 7709
Website
163 Parnell Street
Rawene
Hokianga
Northland 0443
Street Address
163 Parnell Street
Rawene
Hokianga
Northland 0443
Dargaville Hospital, 77 Awakino Road, Dargaville
Northland
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Phone
(09) 439 3330
Website
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This page was last updated at 2:43PM on November 22, 2023. This information is reviewed and edited by Cardiology | Te Tai Tokerau (Northland).