He started his medical practice at III. internal medicine clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University in Bratislava, but he achieved his specialization in cardiology while working at the National Institute of Heart and Vascular Diseases, where he worked for years at the Department of Heart Failure and Transplantation under the supervision of doc. MUDr. Eva Goncalves, CSc. Later he concentrated on outpatient work, but he also contributed his expertise to the Functional Diagnostics Department at St. Michael in Bratislava.
During his practice, he has also emphasized education abroad and has attended face-to-face and online courses in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the United States. He has repeatedly presented the results of his work at cardiology congresses and also in national or international journals.
Doctor, why did you decide to join the team of Váš Lekár Polyclinic?
I made the decision because I was intrigued by the concept of preventive medicine – even within cardiology. I have the feeling that we can save many more lives with quality prevention than by treating later stages of disease in hospitals. Prevention should be the first step.
With what diseases and problems do patients most often come to see a cardiologist?
Cardiologists are more likely to see patients with more complicated conditions or more advanced diseases, whether it is arterial hypertension (high blood pressure), atrial fibrillation (one of the most common arrhythmias) or various forms of coronary artery disease.
People also come back to the cardiologist after being discharged from hospital – for example, after a myocardial infarction or after procedures on heart vessels – whether it is angioplasty (‘ballooning’ of blood vessels) or bypass surgery. This is probably the most common spectrum of problems, especially in older age.
In young people, the predominant difficulties are due to an unhealthy lifestyle – obesity, lack of exercise, rhythm disturbances caused by stress, smoking, drinking energy drinks and the like. Complications after COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination were also added.
What types of procedures will be performed in the cardiology outpatient clinic of the polyclinic?
These will be standard procedures, whether it’s an ECG or an echocardiogram, then long-term ECG or blood pressure monitoring. Of course, ergometric testing will also be available. However, in addition to prevention, the added value is that patients are given sufficient time to have their condition examined and consulted by a doctor.
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With what expectations do you come to the Váš Lekár Polyclinic?
I came here mainly because the polyclinic also aims at prevention in terms of a healthy diet and lifestyle. It appealed to me because in my cardiology outpatient practice I also try to emphasize nutrition and nutritional supplements – and I would like to apply this in a concrete way in the treatment of our clients. To consolidate their health so that they do not become patients.
Are there any vitamins whose levels need to be watched during normal life?
Also studies confirm the positive effect of vitamins, only in cardiology practice it is not yet fully experienced. But there is a lot of awareness going on at the moment with vitamin D, we can also monitor levels and harness the potential of coenzyme Q10.
However, there are other vitamins and minerals that are good to monitor – for example, magnesium and potassium levels in the cells. People who are deficient in these minerals may, for example, have a higher incidence of various arrhythmias.
If you had to tell your potential clients and patients something, what would it be?
That we look forward to them. And perhaps I would like to remind them that they need to be proactive about their health too. No doctor, no nurse, no surgeon can do without them. We can intervene in their condition, but unless the client and patient work together, the condition will return.
Also cardiologist MUDr. Ivan Varga, PhD. is part of the professional team of the Váš Lekár Clinic. More information about the cardiology outpatient clinic can be found on this link.
Examinations that you can undergo in our cardiology outpatient clinic
- Comprehensive clinical examination (including oximetry)
- Implementation and evaluation of 12-lead ECG
- Echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart)
- Holter ECG monitoring (24-72 hours)
- Holter blood pressure monitoring (24 hours)
- Cardiac stress testing – bicycle ergometry
- Detection of risk factors and monitoring of chronic conditions
- Guidelines on healthy lifestyles and nutritional supplements
