During
the year 1971, the Department of Cardiology
had a modest beginning with a 25-bedded ward
and 2-bedded Intensive Care Unit (ICU), situated
at the present Paediatric ward building. With
generous contributions from public at a programme
organised by Costal Andhra Heart Foundation,
a separate building was constructed exclusively
for the Department of Cardiology and one ward
was shifted to the present Cardiology Department
premises during March, 1981. With growing
demands to improve infrastructure facilities
for cardiac care, the bed strength at the
Department was upgraded to 36-beds and 18-bedded
Intensive Cardiac Care Unit. Later, a unit
in Intermediate Coronary Course was opened
with 8 beds in the year 2001.
The
present Department is fully equipped with
a centrally air-conditioned ICCU (Intensive
Cardiac Care Unit), 2-D echocardiography with
colour Doppler and transoesophageal echocardiography,
stress testing of image intensifier, central
monitoring system and central oxygen system.
The cardiac monitors, defibrillators at the
cardiac catheterisation laboratories were
installed in March, 1996 and more than 600
patients were benefited free-of-cost since
then. Many pacemakers have been implanted
and pacemaker follow up clinics are also being
conducted regularly. A few interventional
procedures are also being performed at the
Department.
The
Department offers services to outpatients
and inpatients on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays along with round-the-clock emergency
care. The Department gives undergraduate and
postgraduate training and trains postgraduates
of Medicine, Anaesthesia, Psychiatry and Gynaecology.
Superspeciality course of DM Cardiology was
commenced in the year 1991 with an intake
of one student every year.