Cardiologist
A cardiologist is a physician who’s an expert in the care of your heart and blood vessels. They can treat or help you prevent a number of cardiovascular problems. They can also specialize in specific areas, such as abnormal heart rhythms, heart failure or heart problems you’ve had since birth.
What is a cardiologist?
A cardiologist is a doctor who’s an expert in heart and blood vessel diseases. They can treat heart diseases and help keep you from getting heart diseases.
After completing four years of medical school, cardiologists spend three years learning general internal medicine as a resident, plus at least three more years of specialized training after that.
After 10 years of training, a cardiologist can take an American Board of Internal Medicine exam. Even after achieving board certification, cardiologists keep learning for as long as they practice. They must keep up with the latest advances in how to treat patients to provide the best care.
What diseases do cardiologists treat or help you prevent?
Cardiologists can treat a wide range of heart and vascular problems, including:
- Atherosclerosis
- High blood pressure.
- High cholesterol.
- Sudden cardiac arrest.
- Heart failure.
- Heart attack.
- Blood clots.
- Atrial fibrillation and other heart rhythm disorders.
- Endocarditis.
- Cardiogenic shock.
- Heart valve problems.
- Heart abnormalities.
- Cardiomyopathy.
- Myocarditis.
- Congenital (from birth) conditions.
- Problems with your aorta (aneurysm, stenosis).
- Problems with your arteries (peripheral artery disease, subclavian artery disease, renal artery disease, coronary artery disease).
- Stroke.