Hi Himani,
Cardiology or Cardiovascular medicine is a sub-specialty of internal medicine. Cardiology is a division of medicine which deals with the diagnosis and treatment related to heart disorders. It is the specialisation related to one of the most important organ of our body and as such it has much significance in medical science too.
Medical practitioners who deal with heart disorders are generally termed as Cardiologists. Cardiologists analyse and deal with cardiovascular or circulatory illness and disorders. This means the heart, blood vessels and many other parts of the body are a primary focus for a cardiologist. A cardiologist is a doctor of the heart, arteries and veins. Cardiologists provide diagnosis and treatment of heart failure, congenital heart defects and coronary artery disease. This includes problems caused by restricted circulation due to narrowing of the arteries, problems in the heart valves, damage to the muscle tissue, and disorders of the pericardium.
There are many different categories of cardiologists – some focus more on diagnosis, prevention, and medications, while other cardiologists are more procedure-oriented, performing angioplasties and other life-saving operations. Cardiologists can be invasive, interventional, or non-invasive. Non-invasive cardiologists don't do procedures; they mainly perform diagnostic tests to spot early signs of heart problems. Non-invasive cardiologists perform stress tests and electrocardiograms, popularly known as EKG’s to gauge the state of your heart. Invasive cardiologists are trained in a diagnostic procedure called cardiac catheterization, which is used to pinpoint blockages of the arteries. Whereas interventional cardiologist perform various surgical procedures like angioplasty and tubing. A cardiologist is not a surgeon. The physicians who do open heart surgery are cardio-thoracic surgeons. While Cardiologists take the internal medicine route, a heart surgeon completes a surgical residency program, not internal medicine residency as cardiologists do. Cardiologists may conduct test and prescribe treatment, but in case of surgery he refers the patient to Cardio-thoracic surgeons. In this instance, a Cardiologist remain the primary doctor for treatment but would work cooperatively with other specialists in the area of cardiology.
For more details on cardiology, kindly refer the link below:
http://career.webindia123.com/career/options/health_medicine/cardiology/Hope this helps
Hi Himani,