Search by location:
Choose speciality and location
to find a doctor near you
Cardiologist
Almost all heart disorders can be treated by a cardiologist, excluding perhaps a heart shattered into pieces.Definition
Cardiology is a sub-specialty of internal medicine which deals with heart diseases and defects such as heart failure, atherosclerosis and coronary artillery disease. It is derived from the Greek word kardia, which means heart.
And thus, a cardiologist is a doctor who specializes in preventing, diagnosing and treating disorders of the heart and cardiovascular system, including the arteries. One important thing to know is that cardiologists are not cardiac, cardiothoracic or cardiovascular surgeons for they do not perform open heart surgery. There are many branches of cardiology, and each offers a different set of knowledge and skills, allowing the handling of various types of known diseases.
Types of Patients
Cardiologists can prevent, diagnose and treat disorders of the coronary circulation, myocardium, pericardium, heart valves and blood vessels; cardiac arrest; and congenital heart disease.
Disorders of the coronary circulation include atherosclerosis, restenosis, coronary heart disease and acute coronary syndrome while disorders of the myocardium include cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, ventricular hypertrophy, primary tumors and myocardial rupture. Pericarditis, pericardial tamponade, and constrictive pericarditis belong to pericardium disorders while aortic valve, mitral valve, pulmonary valve, and tricuspid valve disorders are called heart valves defects.
Diseases of the aorta and carotid arteries, vasculitis, aneurysm, varicose veins and economy class syndrome are disorders of the blood vessels while congenital heart disease can be subdivided to atrial septal and ventricular septal defects, patent ductus arteriosus, bicuspid aortic valve and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. And lastly, cardiac arrest can be further classified into ventricular fibrillation, pulseless ventricular tachycardia, pulseless electrical activity, asystole and sudden cardiac death.
Different Types of Cardiologists
A cardiologist may be considered as non-invasive, invasive, non-interventional or interventional. A non-invasive cardiologist performs several diagnostic tests to identify potential heart problems. He or she prescribes appropriate drugs and diets to treat the problem, but never executes a surgical procedure. An invasive cardiologist can also perform the tasks a non-invasive cardiologist does. The only difference is that he or she can perform cardiac catheterization, a diagnostic test used to detect and find artery blockages. A non-interventional cardiologist performs the additional tests and procedures needed when an artillery blockage is detected and found. When a more advanced medical procedure is needed, he or she usually refers the patient to an interventional cardiologist. An interventional cardiologist performs hospital procedures such as balloon angioplasty. This advancement in knowledge and skill is a product of another 2 years of education after the 3-year cardiology fellowship.
Cardiologist doctors by state:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
California
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming