Cardiology is the specialization of medicine focused on the analysis of the heart . Cardiologists , therefore, can make diagnoses and indicate treatments linked to disorders of this organ.
Although the requirements vary by country, cardiologists are generally doctors and surgeons who then carry out the corresponding specialization. An expert in cardiology must be able to care for patients with any type of heart problem and carry out preventive tasks to minimize the appearance of this type of disease.
There are many disorders that can affect the heart . At a general level, we speak of heart failure when the heart is not capable of pumping the blood necessary for the proper functioning of the body, or it can do so but at the cost of other disorders.
Cardiology, in this framework, can diagnose heart failure and indicate treatments according to the patient's characteristics. Acute myocardial infarction , angina pectoris , endocarditis , ventricular fibrillation and atrial fibrillation are among the processes that cardiology studies and treats.
In order to establish a diagnosis , the cardiology specialist may indicate various studies, such as an electrocardiogram , a Doppler ultrasound , the Holter test (which provides for uninterrupted monitoring of the patient for 24 hours), the vascular table test, ergometry (or stress) test, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, tilt test and drug sensitization studies.
Common treatment procedures include bypass , angioplasty and stent implantation.
When a person decides to start doing a sporting activity, it is recommended that they see a doctor to monitor their physical condition. In this context, a consultation with a cardiology expert is often suggested to determine if your heart is functioning correctly and would be able to withstand the effort.
It is important to note that the field of cardiology is complex, and therefore it is common for cardiologists to choose one of the various subspecializations to focus their careers on; In this context we find areas such as nuclear cardiology, interventional cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology, cardiac rehabilitation, echocardiology, heart rhythm disorders, the coronary unit and cardiological intensive therapy .
As mentioned above, we are dealing with one of the many branches of medicine. Depending on the country, there are various requirements to graduate in cardiology. A bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery is generally required before completing specialty studies, which usually last approximately five years.
Throughout the entire academic training process, aspiring cardiologists have to approach various aspects that are related to the specialty, among which are the following:
* hospital medicine : covers care for patients who have been admitted to a health center, as well as outpatient or out-of-hospital care, for those who go to the consultation but then do not need to stay in the hospital;
* assistance in urgent or acute cases whose treatment cannot be delayed;
* clinical cardiology : these are all the topics that are related to working with patients directly and the possible paths when approaching each particular case;
* pre- and post-operation care : to minimize surgical risks, it is necessary to carry out a cardiological evaluation before any operation . Likewise, postoperative care is very important for adequate recovery;
* preventive cardiology : studies the measures that professionals must take to prevent the diseases contemplated within this branch of medicine from appearing.