What your home team should send to China
The China hospital cannot judge whether angiography or PCI is appropriate from a summary email alone. It needs the primary records that show your coronary anatomy, what was already attempted, and how your heart function has been measured. Ask your home cardiologist's office to prepare a transfer package rather than forwarding a patient portal screenshot.
The most useful items are the original coronary angiogram images on disc or via a secure link, the written angiography report describing which vessels were narrowed and to what degree, any prior PCI report including stent type and placement, and the most recent echocardiogram or stress test report. If you have had bypass surgery, include the operative note. If you have not had angiography, the China team needs the non-invasive tests that led to the referral.
A current medication list matters as much as the images. It should show drug names, doses, frequency and the date each was last changed, especially antiplatelet agents, anticoagulants, statins, blood pressure medicines and diabetes medicines. Do not stop or change any of these on your own before travel; that decision belongs to the prescribing clinician.
Ask your home office to include a short cover letter stating the clinical question. For example: is PCI indicated for this lesion, or would medical therapy or bypass surgery be preferred? A clear question produces a more useful reply than a general request for review.
- Original angiogram images, not only the report
- Written angiography and prior PCI reports
- Latest echocardiogram, stress test or CT angiography
- Current medication list with doses and recent changes
- A one-paragraph clinical question from your cardiologist
What the China team should send back to your home clinician
The handover is not complete when the procedure ends. Your home cardiologist will manage your long-term care, so they need the procedural facts in writing. Ask the China hospital, before you travel, what documents it will provide and in what language.
A useful return package includes the procedure report describing which vessels were treated, what type and size of stent was used if PCI was performed, and any complications. It should also include the discharge summary, the post-procedure medication plan with doses, and the date and plan for any follow-up imaging or clinic review.
If angiography shows that PCI is not suitable and bypass surgery or medical therapy is recommended, that conclusion and its reasoning should also be sent back. Your home team needs to understand not only what was done but what was decided against.
Language matters. If the China hospital issues documents in Chinese, ask whether an English version or a certified translation can be provided. Your home clinician may not be able to act on a document they cannot read.
Confirm whether the visit is for assessment or intervention
Angiography is an examination. PCI is treatment. They are not the same appointment, and a coronary angiogram does not always lead to a stent. Before you travel, ask the China hospital directly: is this visit planned for diagnostic angiography only, or for angiography with intent to perform PCI in the same session if the findings support it?
The answer changes what you prepare. If the plan is assessment only, you may need a shorter stay and a clear plan for where and when any intervention would happen. If PCI is planned, you need to know what happens if the anatomy turns out to be unsuitable, and who will explain that to you and your family.
Ask whether the hospital will contact your home cardiologist before the procedure if the findings differ from what was expected. A brief pre-procedure call or email can prevent a decision being made without your home team's input.
Also ask who will obtain consent, in what language, and whether an interpreter will be present for the consent discussion. Consent for PCI should cover the possibility that the procedure is converted to medical therapy or surgery.
Ask how follow-up and prescribed care will be handed over
After PCI, antiplatelet therapy is typically continued for a period that the treating cardiologist determines. Your home clinician needs to know the exact regimen, the intended duration and any restrictions before they take over. Ask the China hospital to state this in the discharge documents rather than relying on a verbal instruction.
Ask what monitoring is planned after discharge, who will review the results, and how those results will reach your home cardiologist. If follow-up blood tests or imaging are arranged in China, confirm how the reports will be shared internationally.
If you will fly home soon after the procedure, ask the treating team what they advise about timing and about any symptoms that should prompt you to seek care before or during travel. This is a clinical judgement, not a scheduling preference.
Give your home cardiologist the China team's contact details, and give the China team your home cardiologist's contact details. A named person on each side makes the exchange work.
Records, language and practical coordination
International record transfer is slower than a local referral. Start early. Ask your home office how long it takes to prepare images and reports, and ask the China hospital what format it accepts. Do not send original films by post if a digital copy will do.
If you need help requesting a specialist appointment, preparing records or arranging interpretation during consultations, ChinaSpecialistCare can coordinate those non-clinical steps. The hospital and its clinicians decide suitability, the procedure plan and what documents they require.
Keep a single folder, digital or paper, with your angiography images, reports, medication list and the contact details of both cardiology teams. Bring a copy with you and leave a copy with your home clinician.
Do not delay emergency care to arrange an overseas review. Chest pain, breathlessness at rest or other acute symptoms need local urgent assessment.
Next step
Before committing to travel, ask your home cardiologist to prepare the image disc, reports and a short clinical question, and ask the China hospital in writing what it will send back and in what language. Name one contact person on each side so the exchange does not stall between departments. If you would like help identifying a suitable cardiology department, requesting an appointment or arranging interpretation, you can send a brief summary through the enquiry form. An initial enquiry is free and does not require buying a proxy consultation. The hospital decides whether angiography or PCI is appropriate for you.
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.