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Cardiology is a branch of medical specialty that deals with the study of heart, its function,
diseases, diagnosis, and treatment. In a broader perspective, it includes everything re-
lated to cardiovascular system including coronary arteries, coronary veins and blood.
Who is a cardiologist?
A cardiologist is a specialized doctor with special training and skills in finding, diagnosing, treat-
ing and preventing diseases related to heart and blood vessels.
You can see a cardiologist in a private clinic, hospital or you can even consult a cardiologist
online if you are referred to him/her by your practitioner. After examining a few of your symptoms
and your past medical and family history, your doctor can ask you to meet a cardiologist for
further specialized treatment.
There are many specializations in any specific medical field. In cardiology, apart from cardiac
surgeons, there are two specific specializations.
1. Invasive cardiologists:
They are trained in invasive diagnostic procedures like cardiac catheterization performed to
clear blockages of the arteries. So, their time is broadly divided between looking the patients
in the clinic and performing procedures in the cath lab which is rigged with diagnostic imaging
equipment used to support catheterization procedures.
3. Interventional cardiologists:
Interventional cardiology is a non-surgical option which uses a catheter – a small, flexible tube – to
repair damaged or weakened vessels, narrowed arteries, or other affected parts of the heart struc-
ture.
There are many types of diseases affecting different parts of the organ leading to specific cardiac
disorders. A few of them are listed below.
For any of these symptoms, you should consider meeting a cardiologist at the earliest. Once the
diagnosis has been done and you are on medication, you can think of consulting a cardiologist
online also for more convenience.
Your lifestyle choices can increase your risk for heart diseases. Some leading causes of heart
diseases are listed below.
Based on the severity of the symptoms and the medical requirement, your cardiologist may
recommend you to go for any of the below tests.
Electrocardiogram (ECG): It helps the doctor in detecting irregularities in the heart's rhythm
and structure.
Holter monitoring: It is done to detect heart rhythm irregularities that are not detected during
a regular ECG exam. In this test, a portable device is used to record the ECG for 24 to 72
hours.
Stress test: It is done to find out the response of the heart during any kind of stress. So, the
tests are performed after raising the heart rate with exercise or medicine and images are
taken.
Cardiac catheterization: In this test, a catheter is inserted and guided through a vein or
artery in the leg. It is pushed forward until it reaches the heart and all the images are taken
and tracked over a monitor. It checks for any kind of abnormalities in the heart, blood vessels
or the valves.
Cardiac computerized tomography (CT) scan: This test detects any kind of heart problem.
It works by taking x-ray images of the heart and chest from various angles by placing the
person inside a machine with fitted x-ray tubes.
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): It provides detailed imaging of the heart
which helps doctors a lot in finding out even minute and critical heart illnesses. The person
lies on a table inside a long tube-like machine which produces a magnetic field. The magnetic
field produces pictures which are used by the doctors to evaluate the heart in a more detailed
manner.
Why cardiovascular tests are done?
Cardiovascular patients are asked to undergo some tests and procedures to help the doctor with
the right kind of information to start the treatment. Some other reasons are:
• To understand the patient’s risk for unforeseen and serious events like heart attack or a
stroke
• To identify the root cause of the symptoms the patient is experiencing.
• To help proceed with an emergency treatment.
Based on the condition, cause, and the severity of the disease, the treatment of cardiovascular
diseases differ from person to person. In general, the treatment for heart diseases includes the
below methodologies.
Medication: Most of the time, medication is prescribed based on the type of the disease along
with lifestyle changes. With medicines for heart disease, one needs to stay in continuous touch
with the cardiologist to monitor the heart condition. He might need to go for diagnostic tests
during the course of the medication to find out the effectiveness of the treatment.
Lifestyle changes: Many heart disease and borderline conditions get better with lifestyle
changes. Most of them include a low-fat diet, a low -sodium diet, exercises, quitting smoking
and limiting the alcohol intake.
Medical procedures or surgery: In many cases, an invasive procedure or surgery is recom-
mended. It depends on the severity of the damage caused to your heart. Stent implant, angio-
plasty, bypass surgery are a few examples.
If you have any doubt regarding your heart health, you should talk to a cardiologist. Based on
the symptoms, the doctor might ask you to go for diagnostic tests. Once the reports are in hand,
a better treatment plan can be designed for you. You can choose to consult a cardiologist online
to take your first step.