While not every patient will need a cardiologist as part of their treatment team, anyone with a heart disorder or a family history or cardiovascular heart problems can benefit from the experts and knowledge of these specialists.
All cardiologists work with patients to assist in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and conditions. This is a broader scope than simply heart disease, which focuses just on the heart itself. The cardiovascular system includes the heart, but also the blood vessels to and from the heart.
Anyone of any age can require the specialized medical care of cardiologists. Often these professionals are called more frequently with patients that are adults and seniors. Infants and children born with congenital cardiovascular disease or conditions may also see these doctors.
Subspecialties in Cardiovascular Medicine
A cardiologist is a specialization within Internal Medicine and requires an additional three-year residency over the standard three-year residency. With cardiology, there are even finer or more defined sub specializations that cardiologists may obtain.
These specialists are often called in when there are particular techniques required for diagnosis or treatment of cardiovascular conditions. Additionally, these doctors may also provide general cardiovascular care for patients that are at risk of developing specific conditions.
An interventional cardiologist uses fluoroscopy and catheter-based treatment techniques to treat coronary artery disease, issues with the valves in the heart or other heart conditions. Often they are the doctors who will perform angioplasty and correct congenital types of heart defects.
For imaging and diagnostics, nuclear cardiologists or specialists in echo cardiology may be required. With nuclear imagining, it is possible to study the heart in motion, determining where there are irregularities. Echo cardiology uses ultrasound waves that measure the heart’s ability to pump blood as well as any infections or irregularities in the heart.
There is another sub specialization called cardiac electrophysiology. This measures the electric currents in the heart that control the action of the organ. This is often used with patients diagnosed with irregular or abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmia) or with an accelerated heart rate, a condition known as tachycardia.
In virtually all cases a patient will be referred to a specialist in cardiology after a visit to a generalist or an internalist. This can be requested to confirm or determine a diagnosis and then to develop a comprehensive treatment plan based on the symptoms and results for the individual patient.
