The Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), located in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, is a 547-bed tertiary care

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

. Wither over 1500 staff members, the institute provides cardiac care service nationwide, treating more than 300,000 patients annually.

Services

In addition to its cardiac consultation services, the Punjab Institute of Cardiology offers a comprehensive range of medical services, including an Outpatient Department (OPD) and an array of advanced diagnostic services such as

Electrocardiograms Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity through repeated cardiac cycles. It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of ...

(ECG), Exercise Tolerance Tests (ETT),

Angiography Angiography or arteriography is a medical imaging technique used to visualize the inside, or lumen, of blood vessels and organs of the body, with particular interest in the arteries, veins, and the heart chambers. Modern angiography is perfo ...

Angioplasty Angioplasty, also known as balloon angioplasty and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure, minimally invasive endovascular surgery, endovascular Medical procedure, procedure used to widen narrowed or obstructe ...

Electrophysiology Electrophysiology (from ee the Electron#Etymology, etymology of "electron" ; and ) is the branch of physiology that studies the electrical properties of biological cell (biology), cells and tissues. It involves measurements of voltage change ...

studies, and

CT scan A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...

s. These diagnostic tools play a pivotal role in the accurate assessment and management of cardiovascular diseases. - ECG, ETT,

CT Scan A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...

The hospital offers outpatient services, advanced diagnostics, interventional and invasive cardiology, as well as cardiac surgery. The hospital also provides fully equipped cardiac ambulatory services 24/7. Each year, more than 160,000 patients are examined in the OPD, with over 17,000 admissions. As the second largest cardiac centre in Pakistan, after NICVD Karachi, PIC performs 31,000 echocardiograms, 4,000

nuclear medicine Nuclear medicine (nuclear radiology, nucleology), is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactivity, radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging is, in a sense, ''radiology done inside out'', ...

procedures, 16,000

angiogram Angiography or arteriography is a medical imaging technique used to visualize the inside, or lumen, of blood vessels and organs of the body, with particular interest in the arteries, veins, and the heart chambers. Modern angiography is perform ...

s, 3,500 angioplasties (including 5,000

stent In medicine, a stent is a tube usually constructed of a metallic alloy or a polymer. It is inserted into the Lumen (anatomy), lumen (hollow space) of an anatomic vessel or duct to keep the passageway open. Stenting refers to the placement of ...

s placements), and 2,500 cardiac surgeries annually.Healthcare facilities: '90% of PIC patients receive free treatment
The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 12 February 2014, Retrieved 14 March 2018

Research and training

Punjab Institute of Cardiology is also actively involved in research and postgraduate training in cardiology, cardiac surgery and anesthesia. It is the first

ISO The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Me ...

certified hospital in the government sector. In 2015, the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan selected the Punjab Institute of Cardiology for training in Electrophysiology and Interventional Cardiology. 90% of patients at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) receive free treatment; it is a government-funded hospital.

Emergency department expansion

An expanded emergency department is to open in March 2016 and was near completion in January 2016. This will help the hospital handle heavy workload better at the emergency department.

Incidents

2012 patient deaths crisis

An incident that occurred in January 2012 at this institution showed a problem with drug packaging. That month more than 100 heart patients died of overdoses from a particular drug that had inadequate labeling. Hundreds more patients suffered nonfatal adverse reactions from this drug. This problem, while bringing unwanted attention to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, was not unique to that hospital system.

2019 attack

On 11 December 2019, in an unprecedented assault on a hospital led to death of 3 patients and injuries to several others. However, the Young Doctors Association (YDA) of Pakistan reports for death of 12 patients during the attack at hospital. Reportedly a large number of lawyers started marching from Mall Road Lahore and gathered outside the Punjab Institute of Cardiology to protest against a mocking viral video. They closed the hospital's entrance and exit points, within no time their protest turned violent and remained catastrophic for hours.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Punjab Institute of Cardiology Hospital buildings completed in 1989 Hospitals in Lahore Teaching hospitals in Pakistan Heart disease organizations