Cardiology
Our cardiology team manages conditions related to the heart.
Who we care for
We care for adults needing specialist cardiac (heart) care. This may be in hospital or as an outpatient through our specialist clinics.
What you can expect
We provide expert assessment, diagnosis and management in the following areas:
- ischaemic heart disease – when the heart doesn't get enough blood due to blockages in the heart arteries secondary to factors like smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure
- abnormal heart rhythm – when the heart beats too fast, too slow, or irregularly
- heart valve problems – such as narrowing or leakage of one or more valves
- cardiac failure – when the heart doesn't pump properly
If you have several medical conditions, we can advise your GP or general physician about heart issues.
Our team cares for adult patients admitted as inpatients with cardiac conditions.
There are various areas in the hospital that manage cardiology issues. These include the Coronary Care Unit and general wards with telemetry (cardiac monitoring).
Our outpatient clinics run weekly in Ballarat. Our clinics are:
- Monday afternoon: Wayne Childs
- Monday afternoon: Rapid Access Atrial Fibrillation
- Tuesday afternoon: Public cardiology and Dinesh Natarajan, Chris Hengel, Ernesto Oqueli, Rajiv Ananthakrishna, Trent Zeitzen
- Wednesday morning: Anand Sharma
- Wednesday all day (alternate weeks): Trent Zeitzen
- Thursday morning: Cardiac Failure Clinic
- Thursday afternoon: Rapid Access Atrial Fibrillation
- Friday morning: Rodney Reddy (alternates to Wednesday morning 1 in 4)
- Friday morning: Vish Turaga and Dinesh Natarajan alternate weeks
There is also a fortnightly clinic in Horsham:
- Monday: Rajiv Ananthakrishna
The Heart Failure Symptom and Early Review Helpline is available to cardiac patients after they leave hospital.
You or your support person can call for advice and support if you have concerns about your symptoms.
Referrals and access
In hospital:
- Admission is via the Emergency Department or one of our specialist clinics or diagnostic areas.
Outpatient clinics:
- A GP referral is required to access our outpatient clinics
- Referrals should be submitted via Smart Referral or by fax to Specialist Clinics on 03 5320 4822.