Institute of Cardiology at RGGGH: Caring for hearts for half a century

The Institute of Cardiology at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), one of the largest cardiology centres in Tamil Nadu, has grown by leaps and bounds over the past half-century.

Handling a high volume of patients with various cardiac conditions every day, the institute, inaugurated in 1972, has evolved significantly over the decades. According to doctors, it has progressed from treating congenital heart diseases to performing coronary interventions, including primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and complex coronary procedures.

K. Shantharam, dean of RGGGH, said that the cardiology department of Madras Medical College-RGGGH is one of the oldest in the State as well as in this part of the country. “The department, in fact, is a fountainhead for cardiology for the State, as many cardiologists practicing across Tamil Nadu have gone from here. With government support and policies, the department has grown well; its infrastructure has developed, and it has also taken up several cardiac-related studies,” he said.

“We see nearly 17,000 outpatients every month. Our cardiac catheterisation lab runs round the clock, and we perform procedures even at night; a full-fledged team is deployed here in the night as well,” K. Kannan, director, Institute of Cardiology, RGGGH, said. Over the past year (July 2024 to June 2025), the cath lab has handled a total volume of 3,224 interventions, with elective coronary angiography numbering 1,659, and 529 elective percutaneous coronary interventions.

Chest pain clinic

The institute has been running a dedicated chest pain clinic 24x7. Here, all patients presenting to RGGGH with chest pain are screened. In the past year, 4,728 patients have been screened, and 708 patients with ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) were treated on time.

The doctors added that primary PCI was performed for all eligible STEMI patients within the window period (if there are no contraindications) on a 24x7 basis, while structural cardiac interventions, including Atrial Septal Defects device closure and pulmonary balloon valvotomy, are also done. Percutaneous interventions for antenatal rheumatic mitral stenosis — an important cause of maternal mortality in the population — is done, and apart from this, interventions for arrhythmia, including permanent pacemaker implantation, are performed.

The institute has spearheaded a number of initiatives. It designed the State STEMI Management Protocol being implemented by the State government. This hub and spoke model of STEMI care is acknowledged as a model for the entire nation, doctors said.

In fact, the department regularly takes up catheterisation study for congenital heart diseases. It went ahead and established a separate cardio-obstetrics unit with dedicated echocardiogram.

This is not all. The institute functions as the nodal centre for national-level pregnancy registry and has pioneered research programmes in cardio-obstetrics. Doctors said it has been a forerunner across various registries, including STEMI, pulmonary embolism, infective endocarditis, and heart failure registries.

The institute trains 14 DM Cardiology postgraduates every year, and its alumni are spread across the world. Now, the department has to graduate to become a quaternary cardiac care centre for the State, Dr. Shantharam said.

Infra improvement

“The government is also focusing on improving the infrastructure. One of the plans is to showcase cardiac electrophysiology in the department in the coming months. There is no centre offering cardiac electrophysiology speciality in the government centre in the State, and RGGGH will become one in the coming months. In the future, the department should also look at preventive cardiology,” he said.