Cardiologist: Definition and What They Treat
A cardiologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing, treating, and preventing diseases of the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular system).
Training
- 4yr med school → 3yr internal medicine residency → 3+ yr cardiology fellowship.
- Board certification: ABIM Cardiovascular Disease.
- Subspecialties: Interventional, Electrophysiology, Heart Failure, Imaging, Adult Congenital.
Conditions Managed
- Coronary artery disease, heart attacks
- Arrhythmias (AFib, SVT, VT)
- Heart failure, cardiomyopathy
- Valvular heart disease
- Hypertension, dyslipidemia
- Congenital heart disease (adult)
- Pericardial, aortic, vascular diseases
Procedures
Diagnostic: ECG, echo, stress test, Holter, cardiac CT/MRI, cath/angiography. Therapeutic: angioplasty/stent, ablation, device implantation (pacemaker, ICD), cardioversion.
Cardiologists do not perform open-heart surgery (that's cardiothoracic surgeons).
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