A Quick Guide to Coronary Angiogram in Singapore
Heart problems are not easy to diagnose. To know your condition, your doctor will require you to undergo several screening tests, including a coronary angiogram.
Generally, this efficient procedure will provide more information about the state of your heart. In this quick guide, we listed the primary things you need to know about coronary angiograms here in Singapore.
What is a coronary angiogram?
A coronary angiogram is a procedure that focuses on the coronary arteries found at the heart. These arteries are responsible for supplying and pumping blood to the entire body.
Moreover, this procedure uses X-ray imaging to know whether your arteries are narrowed or blocked. It’s also the most common type of cardiac catheterisation which can identify blood vessels and heart conditions.
On one hand, your cardiologist needs to evaluate your medical condition before proceeding with the procedure or any treatment at all.
In most cases, they will recommend an angiogram right away once they’ve identified an abnormality during the heart stress test.
Why do you need a coronary angiogram?
A coronary angiogram is an accurate way to look for any blockage or narrowing of the coronary arteries. Often, it can be used to diagnose heart disease and to plan future procedures as well.
You will need a coronary angiogram if you have or experience the following:
- Newly increasing chest pains
- Stinging pain in the neck, arm, jaw, and chest that can’t be explained by other medical tests
- Heart valve problem
- Inborn congenital heart disease
Basically, a coronary angiogram is done right before coronary angioplasty—a procedure to open clogged heart arteries. Also, it serves as a guide to know if the grafts were fully closed after an open heart surgery.
Just like other diagnostic procedures involving medical tools, there are still risks that you need to be aware of. Due to the fragile nature of arteries, doctors make sure to not cause any accidents during the process.
The good news is, this study shows that coronary angiograms are guaranteed to provide safe and efficient results with a success rate of 97.6%.
How much does coronary angiogram cost in Singapore?
In Singapore, prices of coronary angiograms vary based on your doctor’s expertise, as well as the result of your assessment and medical profile.
The lowest cost of this procedure is $1,000 and it can go as high as $5,000. Your chosen healthcare institution will also determine the overall amount to pay.
In some private hospitals, the price of coronary angiograms starts from $3,000 and up. On the contrary, public hospitals offer the lowest price for this procedure.
Remember that there are still out of pocket expenses for medications and other medical miscellaneous fees, so that’s something to consider.
Can you use MediSave and other health insurance for this procedure?
Fortunately, you can use Medisave for a coronary angiogram. Considering the high prices involved around heart procedure and treatments, having a health insurance policy will definitely lessen your expenses.
In fact, you can also use other Integrated Shield Plans from private companies such as AIA, AXA, Singlife with Aviva, and Prudential to cover the procedure.