Welcome to Cardiology Services at Weston General Hospital.
The Department of Cardiology is a multidisciplinary department with staff drawn from medical, nursing and technical backgrounds, functioning as an integrated diagnostic and treatment unit providing both inpatient and outpatient services.
We generally work closely to and share resources with the Bristol Heart Institute.
Cardiologists
Dr Geoffery Dalton
Dr Abdul Mozid
Dr Ihab Diab
David Hartell - Cardiology Manager
Assistant Physiology Support
Carol Lowrie - Lead Cardiographer
Liz Gould and Jane Robertson
For more information, see the Cardiac Rehabilitation page.
Referrals for Cardiology are taken from the community via your GP, who should always be your point of reference.
Your GP may simply require you to be referred for a cardiology test, where the results are sent back to them, or may require you to have a more specialist input which will involve you seeing a cardiologist who will both assess you and evaluate your test results.
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
This is a simple, painless test which looks at the electrical activity of the heart. With this the cardiologist can assess the heart rate and rhythm, as well as looking for signs suggestive of current or prior coronary artery disease.
Echocardiogram (Echo)
With an echocardiogram, an ultrasound device is used to assess the structure and function of the heart. It is a simple test, but can be slightly uncomfortable as the probe does need to be pressed lightly into the chest wall. An echocardiogram is often used to assess the presence or absence of heart valve disease, but is also invaluable in assessing patients with heart failure and with prior myocardial infarction.
Angiogram
Angiography is an invasive procedure where a catheter is passed, using x-ray imaging, from the wrist or the groin to the heart; contrast is then injected down the coronary arteries to assess the presence or absence of coronary disease. Angiography is currently the "gold standard" for the assessment of coronary artery disease, and is essential if coronary intervention or surgery is being contemplated.
As an invasive procedure, however, it does come with an associated potential problems. The risk of a major adverse event (death, heart attack, stroke or requirement for emergency surgery) is very low at around 1 in 1000 cases, but must always be borne in mind when contemplating angiography.
This test is conducted as a day case procedure in the Bristol Heart Institute.
Exercise Tolerance Test
One of the issues with a standard resting ECG is that it is performed with the patient lying down, at rest. By using similar ECG recording equipment, but also asking the patient to perform a gentle walk on a treadmill whilst the ECG is being recorded, the cardiologist can gain information on how the heart responds to activity and assess the likelihood of coronary artery disease being present.
Stress echocardiogram
This is a stress test where the patient is usually given a drug to help the heart beat harder, whilst recording echo images of the heart's function. With a stress echo a cardiologist can look at how the heart responds to stress and exercise; this can be used to look for more subtle changes than can simply be seen on a straightforward exercise tolerance test. It is also useful to assess any potential for improvement in patients with already damaged hearts, for example if they are being considered for cardiac surgery.
Cardiology is situated at the front of the hospital, on the Ground Floor to the right of the main reception area.
Our opening times are 09.00-12.30 and 1.30-4.30 (Monday-Friday).
Please note: Some evening clinics and Saturday clinics are organised to meet service demand, these may run as late as 7.00pm.