Clinical Practice
Dr Chitkara is skilled in all aspects of adult cardiology (including chest pain / angina, palpitation / arrhythmia, dizziness, breathlessness, high blood pressure / hypertension, high cholesterol, heart murmur, heart failure and cardiomyopathy assessment, coronary calcium score assessment, coronary risk factor profile assessment, BUPA Wellness, Lifescan assessment. He has a specialist interest in coronary angiography/angioplasty & stent insertion and non-invasive cardiac imaging.
Coronary angiography, coronary angioplasty and Stent Insertion
Dr Chitkara regularly performs coronary angioplasty procedures as part of the Heart Attack Centre based at Royal Derby Hospital in Derbyshire. This type of primary angioplasty for myocardial infarction treatment has been shown to save more lives than the conventional treatment for heart attacks with intravenous clot-busting medication.
Royal Derby Hospital link: http://www.derbyhospitals.nhs.uk/
He is highly experienced in transradial coronary procedures and trains other cardiologists in this technique. The transradial approach for coronary angiography and angioplasty (& stent insertion) procedures involves using the artery in the wrist (radial artery) to introduce the coronary catheter rather than the groin (femoral artery). This transradial approach for angiography and angioplasty allows patients to stand or walk immediately after the coronary procedure and avoids the need for bedrest for 4 hours (required for the groin femoral approach). Besides patient comfort , there are proven clinical advantages of the transradial approach - there is less risk of bleeding, and less incidence of vascular (blood vessel) complications compared to femoral route. Dr Chitkara performs the vast majority of procedures via the radial (wrist) artery. In fact, patients who have experienced both methods, and who require a repeat procedure actually specifically request a transradial approach.
Pre Stent Angio (Radial access)
Post Stent Angio (Radial access)
