Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology & National Institute
of Heart Diseases features a full service ER department and a
Heart Emergency. The Emergency department of this hospital is
equipped with latest and state of the art monitoring equipment and
ECG machines etc. The department is manned by dedicated, qualified
and responsible staff on round the clock basis, 7 days a week.
When you have an emergency, specially like chest discomfort, heart
sinking, vertigo and "Black Outs", you should IMMEDIATELY contact
our emergency department.
Our number is:- 051-9271020 Ext 3056
All patients at Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology and
National Institute of Heart Diseases are closely monitored for
Heart rate and ECG, Oxygen saturation in blood and non invasive
blood pressure. This institute uses latest machinery for the
purpose. We provide uninterrupted monitoring from patient
admission to discharge. This continuous monitoring translates into
better care for our patients.AFIC/NIHD is built for
patient-focused care. Our patients have access to advanced
technology and surgical techniques in a hospital specially
designed for their treatment and recovery. From admission until
discharge, patient care focuses on personal needs, comfort and
convenience. All wards and rooms are designed and equipped for
every stage of patient care. We minimize the transporting of
patients, encourage family involvement in the recovery process,
and provide a comfortable setting for all involved.
Pharmacy services at Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology /
National Institute of Heart Diseases are focused on providing
quick and accurate medications, frequently prescribed by our
Cardiologists, at the bedside.
For outdoor patients, a retail outlet of the pharmacy has been
established on 3rd floor of the main building.
The echo department at AFIC-NIHD has state of the art
machine to perform different procedures. Following are the main
procedures performed by this department.
Trans-thoracic Echocardiogram.
Trans-oesophageal Echocardiogram.
This department is assisted by all the Consultant
cardiologists of the institute. Three machines are in use at any
given time.
The Clinical Laboratory at Armed Forces Institute of
Cardiology and National Institute of Heart Diseases has been
designed with the needs of the cardiology patients in mind.
Equipment was chosen for the ability to provide not only quality
results, but to be able to provide those results in a very quick
and efficient fashion.
The Chemical Pathology Department is equipped with the
state of art selectra XL, and Hitachi 911 machine.
Hematology Department has Sysmex X S �1000i Poch and KX 21
Hematology analyzer.
Coagulation Department is equipped with the latest CA 550
Sysmex coagulation analyzer with KC 4 coagulation analyzer for
backup.
Blood Gases are performed with two 1265 blood gas analyzer
round the clock with BG 248 and BG 348 machines.
The staff of the Laboratory have been trained to function
in Laboratory specialties that are unique to the patients that
will come to a cardiology facility. Staff members are also
enjoying an expansion of traditional lab roles that permits
teaching, consultation, and interaction with other clinical team
members and with patients and their attendants.
The Radiology Department at Armed Forces Institute of
Cardiology and National Institute of Heart Diseases contains all
of the modalities including Nuclear Medicine, Ultrasound.
(1) Diagnostic fluoroscope
(2) Routine procedures.
(3) The facility of Computed Tomography is planned in near future.
As many as possible Diagnostic and Ultrasound procedures are done
at the patients bedside, which is in keeping with the mission
statement of the hospital to provide patient focused care.
1. Vascular Doppler studies
2. The department is equipped with an integrated computerized
Radiography System with workstation in the acute wards etc.
3. 64 - Slice
It is the first facility of this subspecialty in the
country. A comprehensive set of investigative and therapeutic
facilities is practiced including ambulatory electrocardiography,
signal averaged electrocardiography, heart rate variability
analysis, cardiac autonomic function testing including head up
tilt-Test. This is a modern facility. Cardiac EP has based upon a
128 channel Prucka system with a busy programmer for cathartic
based radio frequency ablation as curative therapy for the broad
spectrum of cardiac arrhythmia's.
Exercise Tolerance Test (ETT) facilities are available at
AFIC - NIHD Rawalpindi like any other centre of excellence in
cardiology in accordance with laid down international protocols.
The test is also called � exercise stress tests� and is conducted
by making the patient walk ( and at later stages, run) on a motor
driven treadmill which gradually gain speed and measures its
slope, every three minutes ( this 03 minute duration is called a
"stage".
ECG tracing is continuously recorded during the ETT and the last
is stopped if the patient reaches neither age determined taught
heart rate, if the Echo becomes abnormal on if certain recognized
and points are reached ( theses include fatigue, breathlessness,
pain in the legs, a drop in heart rate on blood pressure, chest
pain and any other signs/symptoms that dictate discontinuation of
the stress test).
ETT is used by the Cardiologists, physicians or cardiac Surgeons
to elicit ECG changes through physical stress/exercise and helps
them determine and these occurs an insufficiency in the blood
supply to the heart during exercise, if there is
improvement/deterioration in the patients disease status, if these
is some cardiac system abnormality or if any treatment being given
(or procedure performed in the past) is effective in keeping the
patient sputum free.
ETT appointments at AFIC/NIHD Rawalpindi, can be obtained from ETT
( located on ground floor of the main building) AFIC extension
3022, ETT � II ( located on the third floor of the main building)
AFIC extension 3088.
The test is reported upon and handed over to the patient the same
day. It is convenient for patients scheduled the undergo ETT to
following directions before arrival for stress test/ETT:-
a.Please omit beta blockers (Atenolol, Metaprolol etc 24 hrs prior
to the ETT, in consultation with your treating
cardiologist/physician,
b. Do take light breakfast on the day of the test.
c. Please bring all your medical documents/test reports with you,
when reporting for the test.
d. Loose fitting, comfortable clothing and rubber soled
shoes/joggers are convenient for the test.
e. Gentlemen are requested to shave their chest hair before
reporting for ETT.
f. Take a bath, freshen up and expect some risk walk and or jog
during your test.
Nuclear Cardiology Dept is located on the ground floor of
the main building, just adjacent to the CCU, and is a Pakistan
Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA) licensed facility for nuclear
medicine studies. The dept performs around 80 to 100 myocardial
perfusion scans per month, using both physical and pharmacological
stress techniques. Both Thallium 201 and Tc-99 mm MIBI are used
for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). The dept is equipped with
a state of the art dual head dedicated cardiac SPECT Gamm camera
system (Cardio MD), which has been installed recently. In addition
all necessary requirements for MPI like an ETT machine and
radiation protection/ safety equipment are also at hand.Plan of
the dept for the near future include initiation of research
collaboration with Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied
Sciences (PIEAS), Nilore, Islamabad and placement of a
postgraduate fellow from PIEAS, in the department for M.Sc
research project, Ventriculography Gating and shunt studies will
also be started on a regular basis soon. Plan of the dept for the
near future include initiation of research collaboration with
Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS),
Nilore, Islamabad and placement of a postgraduate fellow from
PIEAS, in the department for M.Sc research project,
Ventriculography Gating and shunt studies will also be started on
a regular basis soon.
Staff
Lt Col Mohsin Saeed Shaikh (classified Nuclear medicine
Specialist) is the head of the dept and his team comprises: -
a. Lt Col Mehdi Raza (graded Nuclear Medicine Specialist).
b. Subedar (Retd) Abdul Majeed, (Senior Nuclear Medicine
Technologist).
c. Mr Muhammad Yousaf (Nuclear Medicine Technologist).
d. Sepoy Nursing Asst Anwar Ul Haq (Nuclear Medicine
Technologist).
Cost of test
Charges for MYOCARDIAL PERFUSION SCAN are Rs. 4000/-
Contact Information
Mail us: Nuclear medicine Department, Armed Forces Institute of
Cardiology & National Institute of Heart Diseases, The Mall,
Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
At present, there are three labs in the Cath Lab Department
of this institute. Additional two machines are under installation
which would be completed in few months time. Two machines are
dedicated for angiographies, Artriographies, Cardiac Cath
procedures, Angioplasties, Valvuloplasticies and shunt closure
etc. Third machine is designated to electrophysiology procedures
and pacemaker insertions. About 30 to 40 procedures are carried
out everyday in the Cath Lab.
The 4 room surgical suite is located on the first floor of
the hospital and is designed to provide cardio thoracic and
peripheral vascular surgical procedures. All operating rooms are
equipped with hemodynamic monitoring equipment and emergency
equipment needed to provide quality care.
Following surgeries are performed at this facility
CABG -on Pump
CABG � off Pump
Valve Replacement and Repair
Open Thoracotomy
Aneurysm Repair (Thoracic/Abdominal/Psedo)
Carotid Endartectomy
Paediatric Cardiac Surgery Including
PDA ligation/Interruption.
Coarctation of Aorta
Telrology of Fallots
VSD, ASD Repair
TAPVR
Arteria Switch
Foutains Operation
Glenn�s Shunt and other complex Congental Heart
Problems.
Every patient taken to surgical department will be
assessed, cared for and transferred by a registered nurse. The
attending surgeon in conjunction with the anaesthesiologist will
treat each patient based on his/her pre operative assessment.
