What the treating team needs to know about your existing conditions
Coronary angiography is an examination; PCI is treatment that widens narrowed heart arteries. Because the two stages can be planned together, the receiving team needs your full medical background before it can judge what the visit is for and what preparation it requires.
The practical starting point is a one-page summary you can hand over at first contact. It should list each diagnosed condition, when it was diagnosed, which clinician manages it, and whether it is currently stable, improving or worsening. Conditions that commonly change cardiac planning include diabetes, kidney disease, previous stroke, bleeding or clotting disorders, anaemia, thyroid disease, lung disease and any previous reaction to contrast dye or anaesthetic.
Medicines matter as much as diagnoses. List every current medicine with its exact name, dose, frequency and who prescribed it, including anything bought without a prescription, herbal products and supplements. Do not stop, reduce or restart any medicine on your own before the hospital tells you what it wants. If you use a blood thinner, the team needs to know which one and why.
Allergies and previous procedures belong in the same summary: contrast reactions, antibiotic allergies, prior stents, bypass surgery, pacemakers and any recent hospital admission. This is not paperwork for its own sake. It is the information the clinician uses to decide whether further tests, a medicine review or a different approach is needed before angiography or PCI.
Which records to send, and how to send them
Records should be legible, dated and translated where the hospital asks. A useful set normally includes recent clinic letters, discharge summaries, the latest blood tests, kidney function results, an ECG, any echocardiogram or stress test report, and the report from any previous coronary angiography or PCI. If you have imaging on disc, say so and ask whether the hospital wants the images or only the report.
Send a short summary first, not a complete archive. An initial enquiry only needs your main question, the working diagnosis and a brief list of conditions. The team can then tell you which documents it actually needs, in what format, and whether certified translation is required. This avoids sending sensitive material that nobody has asked for.
Keep a simple index so nothing is lost: one line per document with its date, its source hospital and what it shows. When you hand records to a new clinician, that index lets them see quickly what is present and what is missing. If a record does not exist, say so rather than leaving a gap that looks like an omission.
Ask the hospital how it wants records delivered and who will receive them. Do not assume that a file sent to a coordinator has reached the treating clinician. Confirm receipt, and keep your own copy of everything you send.
Assessment visit or intervention: why the distinction changes everything
Before you plan travel, ask directly whether the proposed visit is for assessment only or whether the hospital is preparing for angiography with possible PCI. The answer changes the records required, the preparation instructions, the consent discussion and how long you may need to stay.
An assessment visit is a clinical review. The team reads your records, examines you, may request further tests, and then advises whether an invasive procedure is appropriate, what the alternatives are and what the risks are for someone with your conditions. It does not guarantee that angiography will be performed, and it does not guarantee that a stent will be inserted if angiography is done.
An intervention visit assumes the hospital has already accepted you for the procedure. Even then, the final decision is made by the treating clinician on the day, after reviewing your condition, your medicines and your test results. Existing health conditions can change that decision, so a provisional plan is not a confirmed procedure.
Ask what would make the hospital postpone or change the plan. Kidney function, active infection, uncontrolled blood pressure, recent bleeding or an unstable cardiac picture are the kind of issues a clinician will want to resolve first. You do not need to predict the answer; you need to know whom to ask and when.
Questions that clarify how your conditions affect the plan
Write your questions down before the appointment, because the answers shape your decision. Ask whether any of your existing conditions change the recommended approach, whether additional tests are needed first, and whether any of your current medicines need review before the procedure. Ask who will make that decision and when.
Ask about contrast dye specifically if you have kidney disease or a previous reaction. Ask about bleeding risk if you take anticoagulants or have a clotting disorder. Ask about anaesthesia if you have lung or heart conditions that affect sedation. These are legitimate questions, and the treating clinician is the right person to answer them.
Ask what the consent discussion will cover, and request that it happens before any sedation. You should understand the purpose of the procedure, the alternatives, the main risks and what happens if the team finds something unexpected. If you need an interpreter, ask how that will be arranged and whether the same interpreter will be present for consent.
Finally, ask what the hospital expects from you: fasting instructions, medicine instructions, an escort, a contact person, and what to bring on the day. Confirm these in writing if you can, and check them again close to the date in case anything has changed.
Handing over follow-up and prescribed care after the procedure
The handover does not end when you leave the hospital. Before discharge, ask for a written summary that lists the procedure performed, what was found, any stent or device used, the medicines prescribed with doses, follow-up appointments, warning signs and who to contact if something goes wrong.
Ask how your existing conditions will be monitored after the procedure. If you have diabetes, kidney disease or a bleeding disorder, the follow-up plan should say who is responsible for each aspect of your care and how your local clinician will be kept informed. Request that the discharge summary is written in a form your home clinician can read, and ask whether an English version is available.
If you take medicines that were adjusted around the procedure, make sure the discharge instructions say clearly what to continue, what to stop and when. Do not rely on memory or on a verbal instruction alone. Ask the prescribing clinician to confirm any change, and ask your local clinician to review it before you run out of supply.
Ask what records the hospital will send to your home clinician and whether you need to carry copies yourself. A clear handover reduces the risk of duplicated tests, conflicting advice or a gap in medicine supply after you return home.
Planning the enquiry without delaying necessary care
If your symptoms are new, worsening or feel like an emergency, seek local urgent care first. An overseas enquiry is for planned assessment, not for acute chest pain, breathlessness at rest or other warning signs. Do not delay local treatment while waiting for a reply from another country.
For planned care, start with a short summary: your main question, your working diagnosis, your existing conditions and the records you already have. Ask whether the hospital wants an assessment visit or is preparing for intervention, which documents it needs, and how follow-up would be handed over. A free initial review can help identify what is missing and suggest the relevant next step; it is not a diagnosis or a promise of acceptance.
The hospital decides suitability, the final plan and whether a procedure goes ahead. Your job is to give the treating team accurate, dated information and to ask the questions that matter to you. If you want to understand the procedure itself before you plan, read the coronary angiography and PCI reference alongside this guide.
When you are ready, send your short summary through the enquiry form, email or WhatsApp. Keep it brief at first, and share fuller records only when the team tells you what it needs.
Sources & scope of this guide
References and official service information relevant to this guide.
This is general planning information and has not been individually reviewed by a doctor. Medical decisions and personal treatment advice come from your treating clinicians.