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Check Your Heart Health with a Cardiologist

Cardiology is a branch of medicine that specializes in studying disorders of the heart and blood vessels. What diseases are treated and when do you need to see a cardiologist? Check out the explanation below. In practice, cardiology is the science of diagnosing and treating various cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, heart rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias), heart failure, heart valve disease, and congenital heart defects. Doctors who specialize in cardiology are called cardiologists, cardiologists and blood vessels, or cardiologists. The cardiologist is in charge of treating patients who have conditions such as:
  • Angina, chest pain caused by narrowing of the arteries of the heart or coronary heart disease.
  • Arrhythmia, irregular heartbeat, too slow, or too fast.
  • Heart murmurs (whistling sounds made by turbulent blood near or inside the heart). Heart murmurs can be heard by doctors using a stethoscope.
  • Heart attack.
  • Cardiac arrest.
  • Heart valve disease.
  • Cardiomyopathy or abnormalities in the heart muscle.
  • Diseases of blood vessels, such as atherosclerosis, arteritis, varicose veins, and aortic abnormalities.
  • Heart tumor.
  • Coronary artery thrombosis or blockage of heart arteries due to blood clots
  • High blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol.
  • The existence of holes in the heart and other forms of congenital heart disease.
  • Heart failure.

Various Branches of Cardiology

Cardiovascular and cardiology include several branches of science, namely:

  • Electrophysiology

    • It is the study of heart electricity and abnormalities that can occur in the heart's electrical performance. Electrophysiology is used in diagnosing and determining the treatment of heart rhythm disorders, such as atrial fibrillation.

  • Interventional cardiology

    • Diagnose and treat problems in the heart such as a weakened heart valve and narrowing of the arteries in the heart and throughout the body by using small incisions and catheters (flexible thin tubes). Examples of medical procedures covered by this branch of science include the installation of pacemakers, and angioplasty.

  • Cardiology of advanced heart failure and transplantation

    • Treating advanced heart failure patients who wear ventricular aids and who are waiting or who have received a heart transplant.

  • Congenital heart disease

    • Treat pediatric and adult patients born with heart defects, such as ventricular septal defects or atrial septal defects ("holes" in the walls of the heart).

  • Non-invasive cardiology

    • Namely the branch of cardiology and blood vessels that focuses on non-surgical diagnostic methods, as well as the prevention and treatment of heart disease with drugs, diet, and lifestyle changes.

  • Nuclear cardiology

    • It involves high-tech nuclear imaging that is used to take pictures of the heart after a patient is injected with a radioactive contrast agent.

Tests Performed by Cardiologists

When patients see a cardiologist to have a heart and blood vessel health checked, a cardiologist will conduct a physical examination and trace your medical history and complaints. A cardiologist may also carry out the following tests:
  • Electrocardiogram or ECG, to see the heart's rhythm and the electrical performance of the patient's heart.
  • Cardiac angiography, looking at heart conditions in great detail using X-ray technology to help doctors detect early-stage heart disease so that heart attacks can be prevented. This examination is generally done in cardiac catheterization procedures.
  • Echocardiography, a test to see the structure and condition of the heart using sound waves.
  • Stress test, to see how well the heart functions during activities, by performing an EKG examination while the patient is exercising or given drugs to improve the work of the heart.
  • Cardiac imaging, using X-ray, CT scan, MRI, or nuclear imaging, to see the picture j

When to meet with a cardiologist?

Do not hesitate to check and consult a specialist heart and blood vessels if there are the following risk factors or symptoms:
  • Have a family history of heart disease.
  • Feeling chest pain that is so heavy that it cannot move.
  • The amount of blood cholesterol is too high.
  • High blood pressure.
  • Smokers or former heavy smokers.
  • Suffering from diabetes.
  • Shortness of breath after activity or while resting.
  • Heart palpitations.
Most people think of seeing a cardiologist only when they are sick. In fact, routine health checks for heart and blood vessels can help detect existing diseases. The sooner the symptoms of heart disease are detected, the faster the treatment can be done.

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