A cardiologist is an internal medicine doctor specializing in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases, a group of conditions related to your heart and blood vessels. They are also sometimes referred to as heart doctors.
Other than charting a beneficial treatment plan, they can guide people through the risk factors of these diseases and ways of prevention. Worldwide, cardiovascular illnesses are the leading cause of mortality. Understanding your heart health at a young age can help you avoid chronic heart illnesses, which can substantially influence your quality of life and life expectancy.
Cardiologists usually practice in hospitals. However, some have private offices and typically refer patients to healthcare institutions, including hospitals, for tests and procedures. A cardiologist can request the following tests:
- Cardiac catheterization
- Chest X-ray
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Cardiac computed tomography (CT)
- Coronary angiogram
- Stress tests
- Electrocardiogram (EKG)
- Echocardiogram
- Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)
- Holter monitor
- Event monitor
- Implantable event recorder/implantable loop recorder
Read on to learn more about these tests and when your doctor can order them.
Some standard tests and procedures
Here are some explanations for a few standard tests and procedures cardiologists can conduct to diagnose heart conditions:
- Echocardiogram: Cardiologists order echocardiograms to assess the heart's overall function, ensure the function of heart valves, and determine the cause of a heart murmur. The test involves recording and producing images of the heart using sound waves. It allows cardiologists to understand how the blood is moving through the heart and how it is beating.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG): ECG or EKG tests can help cardiologists monitor the changes in heart rhythm, predict if a heart attack is developing, or determine if a heart attack has occurred. The test helps to measure the heartbeat's electrical activity. It helps to determine how long an electrical wave travels from one part of the heart to the next. Cardiologists can assess whether the activity is regular, slow, fast, or irregular. ECGs will also help identify if some parts of the heart are overworked or more significant than usual.
- Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE): Cardiologists use the TEE test to look for blood clots inside the heart, track heart valve disease, and assess the function of heart valves. The test uses high-frequency sound waves to make detailed pictures of the heart and its arteries. During the test, a thin tube is passed down the mouth through the throat and into the esophagus until it is closer to the heart.
- Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Cardiologists can also order MRI scans to assess the function of the heart valves, look for scar tissue within the heart muscle, and assess the heart's structure. MRI scans can also help identify areas in the heart, blood vessels, and the brain affected by stroke.
- Cardiac computed tomography (CT): CT scans can help cardiologists determine if blockages are present in the coronary arteries and assess the heart's structure. Like MRIs, cardiologists can also use CT scans to identify affected blood vessels in the brain due to strokes.
As the term suggests, cardiologists have specialized training in cardiology. The primary step is to attend medical school. Only after this can they choose heart-related specializations. The normal medical training for heart doctors or cardiologists lasts at least a decade. It involves four years of medical school and three years of internal medicine training. Finally, a cardiologist must also complete three extra years of cardiology-specific medical training. They must subsequently pass an American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) exam on cardiovascular disease.
There are various subspecialties in cardiology that a cardiologist may choose to specialize in. These include:
- Adult congenital heart disease: This extensive training equips heart doctors to become experts in the congenital heart disease area.
- Advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology: It is a training program for all heart failure and cardiac transplantation treatment, including using and controlling assist devices.
- Advanced imaging: It is an advanced training in transthoracic echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography, dobutamine, exercise echocardiography, echocardiography lab operations, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear cardiac SPECT and PET imaging, and more.
- Cardiac CT practicum: It covers the physics of CT, radiation generation and exposure, scanning concepts, and scanning modes for both non-contrast and contrast-enhanced cardiac imaging. It also provides clinical expertise in cardiovascular disorders, including coronary artery disease.
- Critical care: This involves research, dissemination, and clinical cardiovascular medicine.
- Disease training: It includes management and training in cardiovascular diseases.
- Clinical cardiac electrophysiology: Cardiologists gain comprehensive patient care and medicine knowledge and become well-versed in practice-based learning and improvement.
- Interventional cardiology: This subspeciality identifies and cures diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels with tiny tubes known as catheters. It enables healthcare professionals to treat heart attacks without open-heart surgery while getting life-saving results.
- Women's cardiovascular health: Also called cardio-obstetrics, it provides special education, comprehensive treatment, and diagnostic training to prevent and manage heart disease in women.
What are the types of cardiovascular diseases treated by a cardiologist?
Although it is possible to treat cardiovascular diseases, you cannot cure most of them. These are chronic diseases that can turn life-threatening without proper and timely treatment.
Cardiologists are qualified to treat a range of cardiovascular diseases, including:
- Blood vessel disease: atherosclerosis, peripheral artery disease, subclavian artery disease, and coronary artery disease.
- Heart rhythm disorders: arrhythmias, an irregular heartbeat that causes problems with the blood flow.
- Congenital heart conditions: children born with congenital disabilities that affect the normal functioning of the heart.
- Heart valve disease occurs when one or more of the four valves stop functioning correctly, causing an abruption in blood flow.
- Heart muscle disease: cardiomyopathy, in which the heart struggles to pump blood into the body, and myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle.
- Heart infection: endocarditis, an inflammation of the heart chambers and valves' inner lining, the endocardium.
- High blood pressure: the force of the blood against the walls of the arteries is greater than usual.
- High cholesterol: high amounts of a waxy substance called cholesterol in the blood increase the risk of heart disease.
These heart diseases can cause life-threatening complications such as sudden cardiac arrest, heart failure, heart attack, cardiogenic shock, and stroke. Without prompt intervention, these problems can result in a person's death.
When should you see a cardiologist?
It is essential to know about the signs and symptoms of heart disease. Many people do not pay much attention to the symptoms and fail to seek care when necessary. A delay in care and treatment can lead to irreversible and life-threatening complications or death.
If you experience any of the signs and symptoms mentioned below, it could suggest problems with your heart health. You must immediately consult your primary care provider, who can refer you to a cardiologist near you if he suspects something serious.
- Pain, tightness, or discomfort in the chest
- Shortness of breath
- Heart palpitations, abnormally fast or slow heart rate, skipped heartbeats, erratic thumping in the chest
- Dizziness or fainting
- Pain, numbness, weakness, or swelling in your limbs
- Pain in the neck, jaw, throat, upper abdomen, or back
- Noticeable weight gain
Secondly, a few lifestyle diseases, unhealthy lifestyle habits, age, gender, and other factors increase your risk of developing heart disease, including:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Eating an unhealthy diet
- Lack of physical activity
- Excess alcohol use
- Tobacco use
- Stress
- Poor dental health
- Clinical depression
- Family history of heart disease
- Being a male
- Men 45 years and above, women 55 years and above
Although you cannot control three risk factors — hereditary, age, and gender, you can lower the other risks and prevent yourself from heart disease with the help of a cardiologist.
It involves improving your lifestyle choices, such as quitting smoking, having a healthy diet, exercising, managing stress, maintaining a healthy weight, and controlling alcohol intake. Regularly monitoring and controlling their levels is crucial if you have any lifestyle disorders like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Also, suppose you suffer from any other lifestyle disorders or have a family history of heart disease, you should do full-body checkups and see a cardiologist near you to discuss preventive methods.
When is emergency care needed for chest pain?
Chest pain can be concerning, but it may occur for various reasons. Therefore, it is crucial to understand when it warrants a trip to the ER or calling 911. Generally, mild chest pain can be attributed to non-emergency issues, such as indigestion. Accordingly, it may signal a more severe condition, like a heart attack.
Identifying the symptoms can help you receive timely access to emergency services and save your life. Moreover, the symptoms appear differently in people depending on their age, gender, and underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes. People often miss heart attacks because they fail to give sufficient weight to their symptoms.
However, identifying the signs of an oncoming heart attack can significantly increase the chances of surviving heart failure. Early treatment can improve blood flow, like putting a stent in the blocked artery. Hence, you should call 911 if you experience the following along with chest pain:
- Sudden pressure, tightness, or squeezing under your breastbone
- Pain spreading to the back, left arm, or jaw
- Severe shortness of breath, especially following a period of inactivity
- Dizziness, nausea, confusion, ashen color, rapid heart rate, or excessive sweating
- Low heart rate or low blood pressure
- Feeling very tired or anxious
It is crucial to note that not all symptoms may occur as they differ from person to person. Men and women experience different symptoms, as women are more prone to experience jaw or back pain, nausea/vomiting, and shortness of breath. Accordingly, older people are susceptible to fainting, and diabetic people with nerve damage may not experience chest pain entirely. Therefore, you must visit a cardiologist near you to determine whether you are at risk for heart attacks. They will study your family history and underlying medical conditions to assess significant risk factors.
After calling 911, it's essential to take the following steps while awaiting the arrival of emergency services:
- Ensure your house is unlocked.
- Keep your phone with you.
- Sit on a chair while you wait.
- Emergency services often direct you to take an aspirin. However, you may avoid it if you have allergic reactions, bleeding problems, or other related issues.
How can you find the best cardiologist in Seattle, Washington State?
Your heart is the most vital organ in your body. If the heart becomes weak and stops pumping blood properly, it can affect several other body parts, such as the brain, lungs, kidneys, arms, and legs. The quality of life drastically declines for heart patients with poor sleep, edema, anxiety, depression, and related problems. Once the person suffers from any heart complication such as heart failure or heart attack, their life expectancy decreases; hence, it is crucial to recognize heart disease's early signs and symptoms and consult a cardiologist immediately.
If you need to make an appointment with a cardiologist to assess your heart health, we can help! At Zocdoc, we have tried to find the expert you desire. Follow these simple steps to find the best cardiologist near you and easily book appointments!
Scroll down to the search bar and mention the specialty, "cardiology," and your location, "Seattle, WA." You can also add your insurance carrier and plan to find experts accepting your insurance. Then, click the "Find" button to get a complete list of cardiologists in Seattle.
You can also update your Zocdoc account's insurance information to get automatically filtered results from cardiologists within your insurance network. You can also upload a picture of your health plan card on the Zocdoc app for filtered results. Check out Zocdoc's patient help center for more insurance-related FAQs.
You can use filters such as date, gender, and language to refine your search if you want—it is beneficial when there is a vast directory of experts. Depending on the doctor's availability, you can schedule in-person or online consultations on weekdays, weekends, and even after 5 p.m.
Zocdoc believes in transparency; you can click on the expert's name to get their detailed profile. On their page, you can read about their education, background, the languages they speak, patient reviews, and FAQs. When satisfied with a cardiologist's profile, you can enter the required personal information and book your appointment immediately!
Booking appointments with a cardiologist near you through Zocdoc is easy, secure, and 100% free.
Heart disease statistics in Washington State
According to a 2021 report on heart disease and stroke facts from the American Heart Association, about 6 to 7 lakh Americans die due to heart disease every year, making it the leading cause of death in America for over a decade. The National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) 2020 report states that heart disease ranks second on the list of leading causes of death in Washington State. In 2020, there were nearly 12,084 deaths due to heart disease in Washington State.
The 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around 20.5% of adults aged 65 and above live with heart disease, making them the most affected age group in Washington. Among other age groups, approximately 7.5% of adults aged 45-64 and 1.5% aged 18-44 have heart disease. More men, about 8.3%, suffer from heart disease compared to 6.5% of women. The study also observes the impact of heart disease on different income groups. Nationwide and in Washington state, people earning less than $25,000 are the most affected — around 16%. The importance of heart health was also highlighted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as they have established February as American Heart Month to educate the public about heart disease and stroke.
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