The Department of Cardiovascular Services provides cardiac services to the QEH and to the medical community of Barbados. It also serves as a cardiac referral centre for the Eastern Caribbean and Guyana.
Established in January 1970, the Cardiac Unit expanded to include a cardiac catheterization laboratory (Cath lab), in 1993; cardiac surgery programme, in 1994; and a Cardiac Suite which combines cardiology and cardiothoracic services on the 16th of April, 2014.
The Cardiac Unit, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Cardiac Suite and Cardiotheracic Operating Theatre (OT5), are instrumental in the prevention, treatment, surgical intervention and follow-up care of patients with heart disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in Barbados.
Patient Safety
The Department of Cardiovascular Services is committed to ensuring patient safety. Procedural pauses are performed before every patient interaction to ensure that the correct patient, procedure and site involved are identified.
Opening Hours
Cardiac Unit
8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.
Cath Lab
7:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. (or, until 9:00 P.M. if a patient stays in the Recovery Room)
Consultative Services
Open 24 hours
Services Offered
Noninvasive:
- Electrocardiographic/EP
- ECG
- 24 hr ECG (Holter)
- Exercise ECG (treadmill stress test)
- Tilt Table
- Flecainide test
- Electrical Cardioversion
- Pacemaker / ICD Checks
- Echocardiography
- Echo with agitated saline contrast
- Exercise Stress Echo (ESE)
- Dobutamine Stress Echo (DSE)
- Transoesophageal echocardiogram
Invasive:
- Coronary Angiography
- Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
- Temporary Pacemaker Implantation
- Permanent Pacemaker Implantation
- Generator Pacemaker Box Change
- Pericardiocentesis
Surgical:
- Cardiac surgery, including CABG, Valve surgery, Shunt closure
- Vascular surgery
- Thoracic surgery
Consultative services:
- In-patient cardiac consults
- In-patient cardiothoracic consults
Education:
- Cardiac catheterization conference
- Cardiac Conference
Out-patient Clinics
The department operates 5 Out-patient clinics:
- Cardiovascular Clinic
- Paediatric Cardiac Clinic
- Cardiovascular Surgical Clinic
- Pacing Clinic
- Interventional Clinic
Accomplishments
- Development of a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) program.
- In February 2016 the first PCI at QEH was performed by Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Dawn Scantlebury. During 2016, 27 PCIs were completed predominantly on stable Out-patients. As the team has gained more experience, more acute PCI cases are being completed specifically in myocardial infarction (heart attack).This has been shown to decrease mortality, when compared to the use of thrombolytic therapy alone. With the addition of this service, the QEH has gained prestige as a Centre of Excellence for cardiac care in the Caribbean.
- Nuclear Cardiology:
In February 2018, the services of the department of Cardiovascular Services extended to include nuclear stress testing.