Cardiologist

A cardiologist is a medical specialist who specializes in heart and vascular diseases. This specialty is also called cardiology. Cardiology has several subspecialties.

What does a cardiologist do?

A cardiologist supports, assesses and treats people with heart and vascular diseases. Conditions a cardiologist can treat include:

• Aortic enlargement
• Narrowing of the coronary arteries (angina pectoris)
• Inflammation of the heart muscle
• Heart valve problems
• Heart abnormalities
• Heart failure
• Heart attack
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Heart muscle diseases
• Arterial disease

Cardiologists often have a subspecialty, such as paediatric cardiology or electrophysiology.

How do you see a cardiologist?

A cardiologist is a medical specialist whom you can see only with a referral. This referral may come from a family doctor or another medical specialist. A receptionist asks about the symptoms when making the appointment to ensure it is made with the appropriate cardiologist.

What is a first appointment with a cardiologist like?

In many hospitals, a receptionist first records an electrocardiogram, or ECG. This takes a few minutes. Your upper body must be uncovered. The cardiologist then immediately reviews the results.

After the ECG, the cardiologist asks questions about the symptoms and medical history, including any family conditions. Heart and vascular diseases occur more often in some families than others.

The cardiologist will often then perform additional testing. An ECG and interview are sometimes enough to make a diagnosis. If not, the cardiologist orders further tests, which usually cannot be scheduled on the same day.

What tests does a cardiologist perform?

A cardiologist performs or orders the following tests:

• ECG
• Blood pressure measurement
• Echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart)
• MRI scan
• CT scan
• Cardiac catheterization
• Exercise stress test
• Blood tests
• 24-hour monitoring to measure blood pressure or heart rhythm

Scheduling the tests takes time. Once the results are available, a second appointment with the cardiologist is scheduled to discuss the results and prepare a treatment plan.

What treatment does a cardiologist provide?

A cardiologist often treats patients together with another medical specialist, usually an internist.
A treatment may consist of:

• Medications
• Lifestyle changes, often combined with medication

A cardiologist can also perform minor procedures such as angioplasty or catheter ablation. When major surgery is needed, the cardiologist refers the patient to a thoracic surgeon. A cardiologist does not perform surgery themselves, but supports the thoracic surgeon during an operation. A cardiologist also supports heart transplants.

How can you prepare for your first visit to a cardiologist?

• Read the hospital brochure carefully.
• Write down your symptoms and questions so the cardiologist gets a clearer picture.
• Consider your clothing. For an ECG, electrodes are attached to the upper body, which must be uncovered.
• If additional tests have already been scheduled, plan accordingly, especially for an exercise stress test. Wear sports clothing.
• Bring someone with you; two people hear more than one person alone.