Cardiology, << `kahr` dee OL uh jee, >> is a branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the heart. Doctors who specialize in cardiology are called cardiologists.
Cardiologists interview and examine patients for possible heart disease. First, the cardiologist asks if the patient has experienced symptoms that suggest heart disease, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, and ankle swelling. The cardiologist then examines the patient by checking the blood pressure, by feeling the beat of the heart on the chest, and by listening with a stethoscope to the sounds produced by the heart.
Following this examination, the cardiologist may order various laboratory tests to help confirm or deny the presence of heart disease. One such test is done with an electrocardiograph, a recording device that shows the electrical activity of the heart. The patient may be asked to walk on a treadmill (moving platform) while being monitored on the electrocardiograph (see Electrocardiograph). The cardiologist may use X rays or sound waves to produce images of the patient’s heart. In a technique called catheterization, tubes are inserted into the chambers of the heart to measure blood pressure and flow within it and to inject dye for X-ray imaging. If a diagnosis of heart disease is made, the cardiologist will recommend specific therapy, such as medication or surgery.
