Cardiologist-are you sure you know what heals and when to address him? In popular consciousness he is a “heart doctor”, but a cardiology specialist also deals with vascular diseases and often works with doctors in other specialties. A cardiologist is undoubtedly a specialist who many Poles go to (or should go to). Cardiovascular disease, especially heart disease, is still the first killer in Poland, both among men and women, but we still fear mainly cancer and often underestimate cardiac problems.
Cardiologist – American College of Cardiology what this specialist does
A cardiologist deals with heart and cardiovascular disease. It diagnoses, diagnoses and treats congenital and acquired cardiac diseases. It also deals with the rehabilitation of patients who have already been cured, but with permanent changes American College of Cardiology after a cardiac episode, in a group at higher risk of recurrence of problems jacc journal of the acc (e.g. after a heart attack).
The relationship between the functioning of the heart and the work of other components of the circulatory system has been shown to be extremely strong – it is stronger than for other organs. Therefore, the cardiologist not only deals with the whole system, but also often, especially with vascular problems, works closely with the hypertensiologist (blood pressure specialist) and the angiologist (blood vessel specialist). Neurological, nephrological, endocrine or pulmonological consultations are also often important when diagnosing cardiac problems.
Cardiology-division
A cardiologist deals with non-invasive treatment, and an invasive cardiac surgeon? It’s too simplistic. With the development of Cardiology, which took place in the 20th century, it became necessary to separate the sub-speciality and today the most commonly used Division in Cardiology is: non-invasive cardiology-it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of heart and cardiovascular diseases in a conservative manner jacc journal of the acc, i.e. using non-invasive tests such as ECG and heart echo and treatment methods such as pharmacology or lifestyle change, invasive cardiology (otherwise interventional) – is the surgical treatment of heart disease, but without opening the chest (e.g. by “entering” the vessels).
The most popular method is cardiac catheterization American College of Cardiology (coronarography), pediatric cardiology – deals with heart and cardiovascular disease in children. It had to be isolated, for example, because of the specificity of birth defects, as well as the new challenges associated with the advancement of Medicine (premature birth). Increasingly, it is even possible to treat fetal hearts, cardiothoracic surgery is the surgical treatment of heart disease by means of procedures such as implantation of pacemakers, valve replacement or transplantation.
What to do with the cardiologist
Conditions and abnormalities that are most commonly treated by a cardiologist:
- coronary artery disease (ischaemic heart disease)),
- atherosclerosis,
heart defects m.in. valve, Botalla duct failure, Fallot syndrome, - arrhythmias (cardiac arrhythmias)),
- hypertension – although Cardiology has a separate specialization, hypertensiology, dedicated to
- hypertension, cardiologists still do it because they are competent and hypertensiologists are
- lacking
- heart failure,
- myocardial infarction,
- myocarditis.
Cardiologist-research
- Research used in modern cardiology:
- Resting ECG,
- electrocardiographic exercise test,
- holter EKG,
- pressurized holter,
- Chest X-ray and other imaging (MRI, CT)),
- echo of the heart,
- echocardiographic load test,
- tilt test.
Cardiologist jacc journal of the acc – how will he treat you?
Depending on the cardiology problem American College of Cardiology, a specialist cardiologist gives the patient recommendations or directs them to cardiology procedures.
It happens (although unfortunately rare – we still usually go to specialists when the condition is advanced) that the cardiologist recommends diet and physical activity, in order to relieve the heart muscle, which is loaded with excess pounds, and at the same time improve its form (all muscles, so also the heart, need proper exercise jacc journal of the acc).
Often, however, you have to act more decisively. For example, in the case of cardiac arrhythmias, not only pharmacological agents are used, but also electrical cardioversion. It is used in patients with atrial fibrillation and certain tachycardia. If a particular section of the heart muscle is responsible for the arrhythmia, sometimes restoring normal heart function requires its destruction by ablation. Angioplasty is used to expand constricted vessels through atherosclerotic lesions. Unfortunately, if they are advanced, you have to do a bypass because expansion is no longer possible.
An invasive cardiologist is a physician performing percutaneous invasive procedures (under local anesthesia) such as coronarography American College of Cardiology (invasive examination of coronary arteries), peripheral vascular angioplasty jacc journal of the acc (carotid arteries, lower limb arteries), coronary and peripheral vascular angioplasty using balloon catheter or with implantation of a stent (metal scaffold). Coronary and peripheral angioplasty are treatments for atherosclerosis. Recently, some heart defects can also be treated successfully by an invasive cardiologist.
A cardiothoracic surgeon is a surgeon who performs cardiac surgery on the heart from access most often through the chest under general anesthesia. This doctor American College of Cardiology deals with surgical treatment m.in. advanced ischaemic heart disease or heart valve defects. Close cooperation between these doctors is often important in treating patients.
How do I get to the cardiologist?
Heart and blood vessel diseases kill about 170,000 people each year. It is one of the leading causes of premature death in our country. A simple way to prevent heart disease is to see and consult a jacc journal of the acc cardiologist regularly.
People come to the cardiologist for various ailments and abnormalities. The most common include: increased blood pressure, decreased physical fitness, exercise shortness of breath, chest pain, feeling of uneven heartbeat, palpitations, as well as fainting and fainting. This visit may take place on the initiative of the patient himself or after a referral from an internal medicine doctor (internist), as well as any other doctor who has noticed worrying cardiovascular symptoms.
What will the cardiologist ask us during the visit?
The doctor’s visit begins as soon as the patient enters the office. Many people do not realise that as soon as the threshold is reached, the survey begins. The doctor points out aspects such as:
- nutritional status (underweight, obesity),
- mode of locomotion (immobility, moving with a cane or crutch),
- difficulty breathing (breathing / breathing dyspnoea, wheezing),
- facial skin tone, hand tremor,
- biological age, which quite often differs from the true – metric age of the patient.