Medical doctors put in years of training to learn the skills and medical techniques required to treat a variety of health conditions. While some docto...
Medical doctors put in years of training to learn the skills and medical techniques required to treat a variety of health conditions. While some doctors may choose to be generalists or family doctors,
others will focus on one or more areas of the human body. A specialist who chooses to work exclusively on diseases and functions of the heart and the blood vessels is a cardiologist, and his or her expertise is used in a variety of ways in patient care and treatment.
In the United States, as in many countries, a doctor will have a full four-year medical degree followed by a residency that specializes in internal medicine. From these six to seven years of training and education they will then start to specialize in a fellowship working with doctors, researchers and patients specifically in the care of heart and circulatory system related conditions. This fellowship will also last between two to three years and, after this intensive training with supervision, they can become licensed as a specialist. There are several subspecialties under the general category that include nuclear cardiology, heart transplants, cardiac surgery, cardiac imaging and echocardiography.
Most patients don't set appointments with a cardiologist before being referred by a family doctor or through a need for immediate care after a heart attack, trauma or injury to the heart or the development of coronary artery disease. In addition to these types of conditions the specialist may work with infants, children and adults that have some type of defect of the heart that may be present from birth. This may be in the form of an inherited disease, improper formation of the structure or muscles of the heart or serious health conditions that damage the heart.
For most cardiologists the first step in patient treatment is completing a comprehensive review of the family history including any history of heart or blood vessel related health problems. Depending on the type of referral and the severity or critical nature of the referral, immediate types of surgery, treatment or imaging processes may be used prior to spending the time in getting the patient history. In cases of trauma to the heart such as a heart attack or heart failure, the priority is to restore the heart function as quickly and effectively as possible.
In general referrals due to non emergency treatment imaging using a variety of techniques is used to allow the doctor to actually see into the blood vessels and heart functions. New techniques in imaging including ECG and electrocardiograms as well as standard chest x-rays provide a much more comprehensive and non-invasive way for these specialists to actually examine the functioning of the system.
A variety of other types of tests and procedures, including heart catheterization, testing for cardiac enzymes, stress tests and surgical procedures are also part of the daily routine. Typically these specialists work as part of the entire treatment team for the patient, often taking the lead role in managing the treatment plan and in completing the very demanding surgical procedures needed. Pacemakers, open heart surgery, valve replacement, balloon angioplasty and cardiovascular surgery are all possible areas of expertise for these highly skilled doctors.
A family doctor or other specialist will typically make the referral to a cardiologist if there is a concern about treatment. Often the specialist will consult with the primary care physician to ensure that ongoing treatment and recovery is carefully monitored for the optimum health and well being of the patient.
