Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about appointments, first visits, angioplasty recovery and TAVR — answered by Dr. Tarun Kumar’s practice.
How do I book an appointment with Dr. Tarun Kumar?
Call the appointments line at +91 98109 84101, or send a request through the Book Appointment form on this site and the clinic team will call you back to confirm a time. OPD consultations run Monday to Saturday, 6:00–8:00 PM, at Medanta-Moolchand Heart Centre, E-18, Block E, Defence Colony, South Delhi.
Do I need a referral to consult a cardiologist?
No. You can book an OPD consultation directly — no referral letter is needed. If you have been seeing a physician for diabetes or blood pressure, bringing their notes helps coordinate your care.
What should I bring to my first consultation?
Bring every previous heart-related report you have — ECGs, echo reports, angiography CDs or reports, discharge summaries — plus your current prescriptions, a list of all medicines you take (including non-cardiac ones), and any home blood-pressure or sugar diary you keep. Old reports are never a waste; they show how things have changed.
When should I see a cardiologist rather than a general physician?
See a cardiologist for chest discomfort on exertion, breathlessness out of proportion to effort, palpitations, blackouts, or swelling of the feet — and even without symptoms, if you are past 40 with risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, or a family history of heart disease before age 55.
Is every chest pain a heart attack?
No — chest pain has many causes, including muscle strain and acidity. But heart-attack pain cannot reliably be told apart at home. Treat new, severe, or crushing chest pain — especially with sweating, breathlessness, nausea, or pain spreading to the arm or jaw — as an emergency: call an ambulance or reach the nearest emergency department immediately. Do not drive yourself.
What is angioplasty, and how long does recovery take?
Angioplasty (PTCA) opens a blocked heart artery with a balloon and stent through a small puncture in the wrist or groin — no surgical incision. For planned procedures, hospital stay is commonly one to two days, and many patients return to routine activity within about a week; your own timeline depends on your heart's condition and will be discussed with you. The medicines prescribed after a stent, especially blood thinners, must not be stopped without your cardiologist's instruction.
What is TAVR, and am I eligible?
TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) treats severe aortic valve narrowing by implanting a new valve through a leg-artery catheter, without opening the chest. Eligibility is decided case by case after echocardiography, a CT scan, and a heart-team assessment of your overall health — it suits many older or higher-risk patients, but not everyone, and the evaluation will tell you honestly which group you are in.
How often should I get my heart checked if I feel fine?
From about age 40 (age 30 with diabetes or a strong family history), a periodic check of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and an ECG is sensible — typically yearly, adjusted to your risk. Feeling fine is reassuring but not conclusive: the biggest risk factors, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, cause no symptoms while they do their damage.
Didn't find your answer?
Call the clinic or send an appointment request — we'll get back to you.