What the centre does
Everything from a first outpatient chest-pain assessment through to open cardiac surgery happens inside this one department, staffed by one on-call rota. That matters most in the cases that go wrong: if a percutaneous procedure complicates, the surgeon is in the adjoining theatre rather than at another hospital.
Interventional cardiology
- Primary PCI, 24 hours a day, every day of the year
- Complex and chronic total occlusion PCI
- Structural heart: TAVI, mitral clip, left atrial appendage occlusion
- Electrophysiology studies and complex ablation
- Device implantation — pacemakers, ICDs, CRT
Cardiac surgery
- Coronary artery bypass grafting, on and off pump
- Aortic and mitral valve repair and replacement
- Aortic root and arch surgery
- Adult congenital cardiac surgery
- Ventricular assist device implantation and transplant assessment
The primary PCI pathway
If an ambulance crew records a STEMI on a pre-hospital ECG, they transmit it directly to the on-call interventionalist and bring the patient past the emergency department to the cath lab door. Our published median door-to-balloon time is 28 minutes against a national average of 42.
Crew transmits the trace and pre-alerts the interventional consultant directly.
Cath lab team called in; the table is prepared before the ambulance arrives.
Patient bypasses the emergency department entirely and goes straight to the table.
Median time from arrival to restored flow in the occluded artery.
Transferred to CCU with a named consultant and a family briefing within the hour.
Outcomes
| Measure | Nova | National average |
|---|---|---|
| Median door-to-balloon | 28 min | 42 min |
| Cardiac surgery 30-day survival | 99.0% | 98.1% |
| PCI same-day discharge (elective) | 71% | 54% |
| Readmission within 30 days | 8.4% | 7.9% |
| Procedures performed last year | 1,940 | — |
Our 30-day readmission rate is above the national average. It is under review by the clinical governance committee and the interim findings are published in the quarterly report.
Chest pain lasting more than 15 minutes, spreading to the arm, jaw or back, or accompanied by sweating and nausea, is a 999 call — not an appointment request. Do not drive yourself.