Cardiovascular diseases

Internal medicine basic examination

A thorough medical history and clinical examination (status) are the basis for a meaningful clinical assessment of cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, blood lipids, blood sugar, blood pressure, dietary habits, stress) are asked about or measured. Medications taken, previous illnesses and family history are recorded.

A comprehensive laboratory panel, including a fasting lipid profile and long-term blood sugar (HbA1c), should be available for a basic examination.

Procedure of an internal medicine basic examination:

Please contact JUVENIS by phone at +43 1 236 3020, by e-mail at empfang@juvenismed.at or via the contact form, to arrange a consultation or treatment appointment.

Examinations related to cardiovascular diseases

At JUVENIS we advise and treat you for any cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors:

Who should have a cardiovascular check-up and when?

Those who appear to benefit most are healthy individuals who are clinically symptom-free: men from the age of 40, women from the age of 50 or after menopause. Especially if a family member has already suffered a heart attack or stroke, or if you yourself have high blood pressure, elevated blood lipids, diabetes mellitus, or overweight, particularly if you are exposed to chronic active or passive nicotine.

Patients should promptly seek cardiovascular evaluation for:

1. cardiac symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness (angina pectoris), chronic nausea, reduced exercise capacity, or cardiac arrhythmias (palpitations, rapid heartbeat),
2. neurological symptoms such as sudden visual or speech disturbance (amaurosis, aphasia), loss of consciousness (syncope), weakness of the arm or leg,
3. leg pain when walking (claudication)

as these can be early symptoms of circulatory disorders of the heart and peripheral vessels.

Examination and treatment of cardiovascular diseases

Please contact JUVENIS by phone at +43 1 236 3020, by e-mail at empfang@juvenismed.at or via the contact form, to arrange a consultation or treatment appointment.

Joint management of your cardiovascular risk factors

The aim of the examination is to assess the individual cardiovascular risk (risk for cardiovascular diseases) and to take appropriate measures to prevent an early manifestation of circulatory disorders or to optimally treat an already manifest disease.

It is essential to form an alliance with your doctor, to understand the connection between lifestyle and cardiovascular diseases, and to identify risk factors together. A shared plan that sets achievable and verifiable goals is the key to maintaining health.

Echocardiogram/heart ultrasound/echocardiography

The heart connects the pulmonary and systemic circulations. It continuously pumps blood through the body, thereby ensuring the organs are supplied with oxygen.

Echocardiography is a painless, side-effect-free diagnostic method used to record the activity and functioning of the heart. Echocardiography allows an assessment of the current cardiac situation with regard to:

Carotid artery ultrasound

The four carotid arteries supply the brain with blood. Ultrasound can be used to examine their blood flow in a painless way. This serves to detect early lipid deposits (intima-media thickness), calcifications, or narrowing of the blood vessels, which can lead to circulatory disturbances and, in the worst case, stroke.

When is ultrasound of the carotid arteries indicated?

Please contact JUVENIS by phone at +43 1 236 3020, by e-mail at empfang@juvenismed.at or via the contact form, to arrange a consultation or treatment appointment.

Assessment of high blood pressure (hypertension)

If hypertension is suspected, serial self-measurement and documentation, or a 24-hour blood pressure measurement to create an RR day profile, is valuable for diagnosis and therapy to prevent long-term damage to the heart and vessels.

Examination of leg blood flow

The current peripheral vascular situation is evaluated, in addition to the clinical examination, by oscillography and peripheral arterial pressure measurement to determine the ankle/brachial index (ABI).

Investigation and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the hospital (angiography, stress ECG, myocardial scan)

If inpatient evaluation/treatment is necessary for suspected coronary heart disease (CHD), Univ. Prof. Dr. Christoph Kopp will personally care for you, in close cooperation with a handpicked group of physicians and specialists from all medical disciplines at cooperating private clinics in Vienna.

A typical inpatient evaluation for cardiac problems such as chest pain or shortness of breath includes a comprehensive laboratory analysis, resting ECG and blood pressure, a chest X-ray and lung function tests, as well as an orthopedic–physical assessment. With typical symptoms and elevation of cardiac muscle enzymes in the blood, minimally invasive coronary imaging (see cardiac catheterization, see angiography) is recommended.

In stable patients with exertional angina, cardiac function tests are performed.:

Exercise ECG (bicycle ergometry) or myocardial scintigraphy (myocardial scan)

These two methods are used for the early functional detection of impaired blood flow to the heart.

During the exercise ECG, heart activity is observed under stress conditions on a stationary bicycle with simultaneous ECG, heart rate, and blood pressure monitoring.

Cardiac or myocardial scintigraphy is a nuclear medicine examination. It is performed in patients suspected of having narrowed coronary arteries. It shows which areas of the heart muscle are still adequately perfused at rest but no longer sufficiently perfused under stress.

Cardiac catheterization, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)

In a cardiac catheter examination, the heart and coronary arteries are examined using a contrast-enhanced X-ray procedure. Access can be via the arm (transradial) or the groin (inguinal). The aim is to rule out or detect narrowing of the coronary arteries. Narrowed coronary arteries can be treated by balloon dilatation (PTCA), usually followed by stent implantation (PCI).

Complex diseases of the coronary arteries (multi-vessel disease) are presented to the heart team and, in consensus with the patient, referred for endovascular (PCI) or surgical treatment (bypass surgery) to improve blood flow.

We have answered the most frequently asked questions on the topic of cardiovascular diseases answered. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us via empfang@juvenismed.at or at +43 1 236 3020.

Responsible for the content of this page: a.o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Kopp