All You Need To Know About A Cardiologist

From Heart and soul to having a heart to heart, and Expressing your heart out to heartbreaking. The heart is not merely a shared symbol of passion, empathy, sentiment, and purpose. It is also responsible for pumping about 2,000 gallons of blood per day.

In view of the importance of this organ, the medical profession dedicated to caring for it by steeping in specialized expertise. If you're looking at cardiology as a field of medicine that you might want to consider, it's normal for you to have concerns. Who is a cardiologist? What do they do? Why are they so important to the people they're helping to treat? When would you need to visit a cardiologist? Let's have all of these queries sorted for you and if you are interested in this field of cardiology, then keep on reading as we explain the critical roles of cardiologists!

What is Cardiology?

Cardiology is the research and treatment of cardiac and blood vessel disorders. An individual with a heart condition or cardiovascular disease can be recommended to a cardiologist. Cardiology is an internal medicine branch. 

Cardiology is a very complex profession. Aspiring cardiologists receive comprehensive education: four years of med college, three years of internal medicine practice, and three or more years of advanced cardiology training. To grasp the intricacy of the human heart, cardiologists end up researching and practicing for ten or more years. And with the growing danger of heart failure, cardiologists are needed more than ever.

Who are cardiologists, and what do they do?

Cardiologists are, in simple terms, physicians who deal with the heart and blood vessels. They identify, treat, and seek to avoid heart failure. A cardiologist is a professional who serves as a consultant to other doctors. They also treat people who experience heart attacks. A cardiologist is not the same as a cardiac surgeon. The cardiac surgeon performs the heart surgery by opening the chest.

Cardiologists work in hospitals and also in medical clinics. Cardiologists can conduct physical examinations, order tests such as an electrocardiogram (EKG), blood tests, stress tests—as and also interpret tests to make a diagnosis. They can also prescribe medicine, suggest lifestyle improvements such as food, exercise, lower stress levels, and weight loss. Cardiologists may perform procedures such as inserting a pacemaker or installing a cardiac catheter. Cardiologists can also teach at universities and carry out research in laboratories to create new therapies.

What does cardiology involve?

The cardiologist will examine the patient's medical records and conduct a physical examination. They might examine the person's weight, pulse, lungs, blood pressure, and blood vessels, and perform some tests. Interventional cardiologists may conduct procedures such as angioplasty, stenting, valvuloplasty, congenital heart defect correction, and coronary thrombectomy.

They may also perform some tests as listed below:

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

 it measures the electrical rhythm of the heart.

Ambulatory ECG

This tracks the rhythms of the heart as the person completes the exercise or their daily activities. Tiny metal electrodes are fixed on the chest, attached by wires to the Holter sensor, which monitors the rhythms.

Echocardiogram

This offers an ultrasound illustration that displays the anatomy of the heart chambers and adjacent regions, and will demonstrate how well the heart functions.

Nuclear cardiology 

Nuclear imaging procedures utilize radioactive chemicals to study cardiovascular conditions and diseases in a non-invasive manner.

Exercise or stress test 

Which indicates changes in the rhythm of the heart between relaxing and exercising. It tests the strength and deficiencies of the organ.

Cardiac catheterization

A short tube in or near the heart gathers data that can help to alleviate the blockage. It can take photos and check the working of the organ and the electrical system. Fluoroscopic catheter-based procedures can be used to diagnose congenital heart, valve, and coronary artery disease.

Electrophysiology study (EPS) of the heart

A catheter is inserted through a vein at the top of the leg in this test. Driven by fluoroscopy, it works its way to the center. The catheter tests electrical impulses in the heart.

The EPS of the heart may:

Help demonstrate what triggers the symptoms.

Help determine whether or not a patient wants a pacemaker.

Help settle on the right treatment for people with arrhythmia or irregular heart rhythm.

Assess how often a patient is to have tachycardia or accelerated heart rhythm 

Assess how often a patient is to have tachycardia or accelerated heart rhythm 

Cardiac electrophysiologists could provide therapy for irregular rhythms, like cardiac ablation, pacemakers, or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

Where can cardiologists specialize?

All cardiologists are clinical cardiologists who can specialize in the following areas:

Pediatric cardiology:

Emphasis on heart issues in children

Adult Cardiology:

Primarily for the treatment of adult heart conditions such as 'Adult Congenital Heart Disease' (ACHD).

Electrophysiology:

Emphasizes the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm problems.

When would you need to see a Cardiologist?

If a person has signs of cardiac disease, they can be recommended to a cardiologist by their physician. Symptoms that may suggest a heart attack include:

• Breath shortness
• Dizziness
• Pain in the chest
• The shift in heart rate or rhythm
• Blood pressure is elevated

A cardiologist may conduct tests for a heart murmur or irregular heart rhythm. They also treat people who have had cardiac attacks, heart disease, or other heart conditions. They help make choices on cardiac surgery, heart catheterization, stenting, and angioplasty. Heart disorders that can be treated by a cardiologist include:

• Atherosclerosis
• Pericarditis
• Ventricular tachycardia
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Arrhythmia
• Congenital cardiac disorder
• Coronary cardiac disease
• High blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Hypertension or elevated blood pressure

The cardiologist will provide advice on the prevention of heart disease. An individual will need to see a cardiologist without complications, whether they have a family history of heart failure or elevated cholesterol, whether they are or have been a smoker, whether they have diabetes, or whether they are beginning a new fitness regimen. A woman who has had pre-eclampsia could be at increased risk of heart attacks during pregnancy or menopause.

Conclusion

Now that you understand what a cardiologist is, do you think you've got what it takes to take good care of a patient's heart? It is a vital function in the medical profession that needs attention to detail.

Taking time to learn specialties such as cardiology is an important phase toward being a doctor. Choosing a medical profession is one of the many options you make when you work on getting the prized white coat. But as a normal person facing cardiac issues and wanting to visit a properly skilled cardiologist, you still at first need to know a little about cardiology and we hope our article has got you covered with that concern!