A private cardiology appointment usually lasts long enough for a consultant cardiologist to go through your symptoms and medical history, examine you, check your blood pressure and, in most cases, arrange an ECG or other heart test. You leave with a clear plan, whether that is reassurance, further tests or treatment. At Heartsure in Kingston upon Thames, appointments are usually arranged within a few days of referral, a new consultation costs £250 for self-funding patients, a

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is when the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries is consistently too high. It is measured using two numbers: systolic pressure, the force when your heart beats, over diastolic pressure, the force when your heart rests between beats. In the UK, high blood pressure is generally defined as a reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher when measured in a clinic, or an average of 135/85 mmHg or higher when measured at home

The main heart risks men face in their 40s centre on coronary heart disease, the gradual narrowing of the arteries that supply the heart, driven by a cluster of factors that tend to build quietly through this decade: high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, excess weight, smoking, and family history. Coronary heart disease is the most commonly diagnosed heart condition in the UK and the country's single biggest killer, and men typically develop it around a de

Cardiac ablation is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat abnormal heart rhythms by creating tiny, precise scars in the heart tissue responsible for the faulty electrical signals. Thin, flexible tubes called catheters are guided through the blood vessels, usually from the groin or wrist, up to the heart, where energy in the form of heat (radiofrequency) or cold (cryoablation) is used to disable the small area causing the rhythm problem. The resulting scar tissue does n

If you are looking for a cardiology clinic in the Dorking area, Heartsure provides consultant-led heart assessment and diagnostics a short drive away in Kingston-upon-Thames, serving patients from across Surrey including Dorking, Leatherhead, Reigate, and the surrounding towns. We are not physically based in Dorking, but we are within easy reach of it, roughly a 30-minute drive or under an hour by train, and a large part of what we offer is exactly what people in Dorking tend

You should see a cardiologist if you have symptoms that could point to a heart problem, such as chest pain or tightness, unexplained breathlessness, palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, dizziness or blackouts, or persistent swelling in the legs and ankles. You should also consider a check if you have significant risk factors even without symptoms, including high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease or sudden cardiac death. You

A cardiac event recorder is a portable ECG device that records your heart's electrical activity around the time you experience symptoms, worn over an extended period so it can capture rhythm problems that come and go. Unlike a standard ECG, which takes a 10-second snapshot in clinic, or a continuous Holter monitor, which typically records everything for 24 hours to 7 days, an event recorder is built to catch infrequent episodes. It does this by saving a recording either when

The main reason people choose a private cardiologist over the NHS is speed of access, followed closely by continuity of care and the ability to choose the consultant they see. Where a routine NHS cardiology referral can involve a wait of several weeks to a few months, a private appointment can usually be arranged within days, often with the diagnostic tests completed in the same visit. For someone with symptoms such as chest discomfort, breathlessness, or palpitations, that d

A DVLA medical test is a set of heart investigations used to confirm whether a cardiac condition affects your fitness to drive, and at Heartsure in Kingston-upon-Thames we provide these assessments for drivers across Surrey and the surrounding area. If the DVLA has written to you asking for a cardiac examination, it usually means you have a heart condition, or a suspected one, that falls under their medical standards, and they need objective evidence about how well your heart

An echocardiogram works by sending high-frequency sound waves into the chest and reading the echoes that bounce back. A handheld probe, pressed against the skin through a layer of gel, emits ultrasound pulses that travel through soft tissue and reflect off the boundaries between structures of differing density, such as heart muscle, valve leaflets, and the blood inside the chambers. The probe picks up those returning echoes, and a computer converts the timing and strength of

The sensation of your heart skipping a beat is almost always caused by an ectopic beat, an extra heartbeat that arrives slightly early and briefly disrupts your normal rhythm. What you actually feel as a "skip" is usually the short pause that follows the early beat, then the next beat landing harder than usual because the heart has had extra time to fill. Ectopic beats are extremely common, happen in almost everyone at some point, and in the vast majority of cases are complet

Leg swelling can point to several heart problems, with heart failure being by far the most common cardiac cause. When the heart can't pump efficiently, blood backs up in the veins and fluid is pushed out into the surrounding tissue, settling under gravity into the ankles, feet, and lower legs. Other cardiac causes include valve disease (especially right-sided problems), poorly controlled atrial fibrillation, pulmonary hypertension, and pericardial disease. That said, not ever

Feeling your heart pounding at night is usually caused by one of three things. Your nervous system is in a heightened state from stress, caffeine, alcohol, or poor sleep, your body is responding to a hormonal or metabolic trigger such as low blood sugar or perimenopause, or your heart rhythm itself is misbehaving. In most cases the cause is benign and resolves with lifestyle changes. But because lying still in a quiet room makes your heartbeat far more noticeable than during

Chest pain can indicate a range of heart problems, from temporary reduced blood flow to the heart muscle (angina) through to a heart attack, inflammation of the heart muscle or its surrounding sac (myocarditis or pericarditis), valve disease, and abnormal heart rhythms. Not every episode of chest pain is cardiac in origin, and in our experience around half of the patients we assess for chest pain turn out to have a non-cardiac cause. But because the conditions that are cardia

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a circulatory condition where the arteries supplying blood to your legs, and sometimes arms, become narrowed or blocked by a build-up of fatty deposits called plaque. This restricts blood flow to the muscles, most commonly causing cramping or aching pain in the calves, thighs, or buttocks when walking, which eases with rest. PAD is a form of cardiovascular disease and shares the same underlying process as coronary heart disease, which is w

Feeling dizzy during exercise usually points to one of three things. Your blood pressure is dropping when it shouldn't, your heart rhythm is misbehaving, or your body isn't getting enough fuel or fluid to keep up with what you're asking of it. In most cases it's harmless, often down to dehydration, low blood sugar, or pushing too hard too quickly. But when dizziness happens repeatedly, comes on suddenly, or is paired with chest discomfort, breathlessness, or a racing heartbea

Cardioversion is a common procedure used to restore a normal heart rhythm, most often in people with atrial fibrillation or other arrhythmias. If you’ve recently had a cardioversion, or you’re preparing for one, the key question is what happens next. In simple terms, recovery is usually quick, but the focus afterwards is on monitoring your rhythm, managing medication, and reducing the chance of the abnormal rhythm returning. From working with patients undergoing cardioversion

Waking up short of breath can feel alarming, especially if it happens more than once. If you’re experiencing this, the key question is whether it’s linked to your heart, lungs, or something more manageable like sleep position or anxiety. In cardiology, waking up short of breath is often associated with how well the heart is pumping and how fluid is managed in the body overnight. It’s not something to ignore, particularly if it’s recurring. From working with patients, we’ve fo

Long QT Syndrome is a heart rhythm condition where the heart takes longer than normal to reset between beats. This delay affects the heart’s electrical system and can increase the risk of fainting, dangerous arrhythmias, and in rare cases, sudden cardiac arrest. If you’re searching for what Long QT Syndrome is, the key point is this: it can be serious, but it is manageable when identified early and monitored properly. From working with cardiology patients, we’ve found that Lo

Ectopic beats are extra heartbeats that occur outside the heart’s normal rhythm. They are extremely common and, in most cases, harmless. Many people describe them as a flutter, a sudden thump in the chest, or the feeling that the heart has skipped a beat. If you’ve been experiencing these sensations, the key thing to know is that ectopic beats are often benign, but frequent or worsening symptoms should still be properly assessed. From working with cardiology patients, we’ve f