Back to Cardiac Services Cardiology Cardiology is the medical speciality dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the heart. Cardiologists are specialists in diseases of the heart. The biggest area of heart disease treated is coronary artery disease e.g. angina. Also treated are abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure, high blood pressure and some rarer conditions. Cardiologists usually treat heart disease with drugs. Some of them are also able to provide treatment for coronary heart disease with coronary angioplasty (a procedure by which the arteries of the heart are widened). If heart surgery is required, a cardiologist…

What is it? Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a supervised programme of exercise and education, designed for the treatment of people with a long-term lung condition who are troubled by breathlessness.  Who is it for? If you have any of the following conditions you may benefit from Pulmonary Rehabilitation: • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) • Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) • Bronchiectasis Who and where we are we? The Pulmonary Rehabilitation services within Wye Valley NHS trust is run by the Physiotherapy team who deliver the Pulmonary Rehab programme to patients throughout Herefordshire.  It is currently based off site at Hinton…

What will happen during my induction of labour? Your midwife will ask to take your observations (blood pressure, temperature, pulse, oxygen levels, breathing rate) The midwife will then ask to monitor your baby’s heartrate continuously for around 30 minutes on a CTG monitor Your midwife will then ask for your consent to carry out a vaginal examination to assess your cervix The midwife will then insert the prostaglandin (Propess) high in your vagina Your baby’s heart rate will then be monitored for another 30 minutes to check baby hasn’t immediately been affected To help encourage tightenings, it is important to…

Deep Vein Thrombosis This is when a blood clot forms in the deep vein of the calf, leg or pelvis. Women are more at risk of developing a blood clot during pregnancy and after having a baby and a caesarean section can further increase this risk.  Therefore it is essential to look out for possible symptoms. Symptoms can include: A red, hot swollen leg Your entire leg being swollen or a feeling of heaviness Tenderness or pain in your leg which may only be felt when standing or walking  A DVT can lead to a pulmonary embolism (PE), this is…

Take your first step to a smoke free pregnancy Speak to your midwife or our local maternitysmoking cessation support workers who can help you become smoke free.  Our local smoking cessation support workers, Sharon and Anna, are with you every step of the way to help you become smoke free.  They offer a FREE ongoing support, including, weekly meet ups at a venue to suit you and your family and are available for face to face or telephone contacts.  Venues where we can meet you include at your home, hospital clinic appointments and children's centres. Sharon and Anna can also support your partner…

Women’s Health Department Patient information leaflet – Post-Menopausal Bleeding (PMB)   What is Post-menopausal bleeding? Any bleeding from the vagina after menopause. This can be light spotting, a change in discharge colour or heaver bleeding. What causes post-menopausal bleeding? There can be many different causes, including: The walls of the vagina become thinner. Small skin-tag growths (polyps) in the vagina, cervix or uterus. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) making the womb lining thicker.   Most of the time, the cause of post-menopausal bleeding is not serious, but sometimes it can be a sign of cancer of the cervix, vagina or endometrium…

Birth Story 1 – An emergency caesarean section ‘I had my daughter 7 weeks early on the 7th January 2022 by category 1 caesarean section. I had come in during the middle of the night for monitoring as baby’s movements felt very off. I had felt her move, but my gut instinct was telling me something was wrong. Thought I'd just go in and she would be fine on the monitor, put my mind at rest and I could go home to bed. Turned out baby was in distress and within an hour of being on the monitor, I had…

Before labour starts, the neck of the womb (cervix) is long, firm and closed. Even before labour begins, the cervix can be drawn up and gets thinner.  The ‘latent’ phase of labour is the very first part of your labour – the early part of first stage. During the ‘latent’ phase the neck of the womb thins and opens up to about 3 to 4 cm.  The latent phase can last several days or weeks before active labour starts. This is normal. Some women have bouts of contractions lasting a few hours, which then stop and start again later or…

Mindfulness Do you feel that you are in a daily battle with your pain? Is your mind full of thoughts, fears, frustrations or muddle? Do you feel like you are always rushing? Do you hate the idea of “accepting your pain” or “coming to terms with it”? Mindfulness can help you find a calmer way to live life despite having pain. What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is merely paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally.  It is based on meditation practice which helps you Allow your mind to settle more in the present moment…

The advice below is for anyone who is pregnant and needs information about measles. It includes what to do if you have any symptoms of measles, or if you have been in close contact with someone who has measles. If you need to access maternity care and you have measles symptoms or you have been in close contact with someone who has, please phone ahead. This includes if you are coming to hospital in labour, as well as the Maternity Triage or routine appointments in the hospital or community. This will help us to provide care for you in the most…