Questions

How do you find a doctor who goes to Mater?
What if I need cardiac surgery?
What is a cardiac catheter theatre?
What is the difference between cardiac and vascular?

Answers

Ask your GP to refer you to a cardiologist or vascular surgeon who works at Mater.

Mater Private Hospital does not provide a cardiac surgical service. If at any time during your stay there is a need for urgent cardiac surgical intervention, you will be stabilised and transferred to another hospital for your procedure. This is extremely rare and would be managed with the greatest care on a case by case basis.

If your cardiac disease is severe but not immediately critical you may require vital surgery as soon as possible. This is uncommon and you will be transferred as necessary. Most often, when surgery is required, it is not immediately necessary. You will be discharged home with an appointment to see a cardiac surgeon in the near future. Often they will see you while still in hospital and arrange your surgery for an appropriate time.

A cardiac catheter theatre is a room where diagnostic procedures that place catheters within the blood vessels of the body are performed. This is to determine the extent (if any) of disease within the particular blood vessels. X-ray images are taken of these blood vessels to see the areas of diseased vessel.

Catheter theatres can also perform therapeutic procedures where the diseased blood vessel can be treated as an alternative to surgery. This treatment usually involves balloons and stents within the vessel to hold them open. Other therapeutic procedures implant particular devices to correct a particular condition.

Cardiac has to do with the heart and the blood vessels around it. Vascular is any blood vessel not associated with the heart.