Interventional Cardiology & Endovascular Interventions
Interventional Cardiology can be defined as an area of medicine within the subspecialty of cardiology that uses specialized imaging and other diagnostic techniques to evaluate blood flow and pressure in the coronary arteries and chambers of the heart, as well as technical procedures and medications to treat abnormalities that impair the function of the cardiovascular system. It deals specifically with the catheter-based treatment of heart diseases.
Endovascular surgery is an innovative, less invasive procedure used to treat problems affecting the blood vessels, such as an aneurysm, which is a swelling or "ballooning" of the blood vessel. The surgery involves making a small incision near each hip to access the blood vessels. An endovascular graft, which is a special fabric tube device framed with stainless steel self-expanding stents, is inserted through the arteries in a catheter, a long, narrow flexible tube, and positioned inside the aorta.
Pediatric cardiology
Pediatric cardiology deals with diseases of the heart in the growing and developing individual. As well as expertise in heart disease pediatric cardiologists also need thorough training in general paediatrics, in order to provide all-round patient care. The initial valuation performed by the paediatric cardiologist might start with a physical examination using a stethoscope, after which more detailed investigations may be suggested.
Structural Heart Disease
Structural heart disease also, known as the problem with the tissues or valves of the heart and most of the structural heart diseases are genetic, which means present at birth. Some structural heart disease will develop later in life. There are many kinds of structural heart diseases, but they all involve a defect or disorder in the structure of the heart tissue or valves. Heart conditions that fall in the category of structural heart disease include, Aortic valve stenosis, Atrial septal defect and Patent foramen ovale, Heart valve disease, Mitral valve regurgitation, Left ventricular hypertrophy, Cardiomyopathy, Marfan syndrome and Myocarditis etc.
Preventive cardiology
Preventive cardiology is the knowledge related to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, either its manifestation or its progression with the aim to avert life-threatening cardiovascular events and to reduce cardiac mortality. Preventive cardiology also calls for a different approach to our patients: it aims to influence the underlying systemic disease process of atherosclerosis, of which the acute events are just short manifestations. It focuses on the improvement of long term outcome rather than acute symptomatic relief and may have a greater impact on patient longevity than sophisticated interventions.
Cardiac-sonography or echocardiography
Cardiac-sonography or echocardiography is the use of ultrasound to examine the heart's chambers, walls, valves and vessels. Mostly use of technology such as sophisticated diagnostic ultrasound imaging machines and transducers that use high-frequency sound waves to produce dynamic visual images to complete important tasks, such as:
Acquiring information related to the heart's anatomy and physiology
Producing real-time images of cardiac structures to assist the physician in diagnosing cardiovascular disease
Evaluating acquired and congenital cardiac abnormalities and associated complications
Evaluating narrowed or leaking heart valves
Looking for causes of murmurs, chest pain, shortness of breath
Tracking and evaluating chronic heart conditions
Clinical Cardiology
Clinical Cardiology can be defined as the branch of medicine which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases. Cardiologists frequently specialize in interventional cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology, echocardiography, or nuclear cardiology. Each of these specialties offers unique techniques when dealing with disorders of the heart.
Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy
Heart Failure inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it and, specifically, failure of the heart to pump blood with normal efficiency. When this occurs, the heart is unable to provide adequate blood flow to other organs such as the brain, liver and kidneys. Heart failure may be due to failure of the right or left or both ventricles. The signs and symptoms depend upon which side of the heart is failing. They can include shortness of breath (dyspnea), asthma due to the heart (cardiac asthma), pooling of blood (stasis) in the general body (systemic) circulation or in the liver's (portal) circulation, swelling (edema), blueness or duskiness (cyanosis), and enlargement (hypertrophy) of the heart.
Cardiomyopathy refers to diseases of the heart muscle. These diseases have many causes, signs and symptoms as well as treatments. In most cases, cardiomyopathy causes the heart muscle to become enlarged, thick or rigid. In rare instances, diseased heart muscle tissue is replaced with scar tissue.
Women and Heart Disease
The term heart disease refers to several types of heart conditions, including coronary artery disease and heart attack. Although heart disease is sometimes thought of as a man’s disease, almost as many women as men die each year of heart disease in the United States.
Despite increases in awareness over the past decades, only about half (56%) of women recognize that heart disease is their number 1 killer.
Learn more facts about women and heart disease:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing 299,578 women in 2017—or about 1 in every 5 female deaths.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for African American and white women in the United States. Among American Indian and Alaska Native women, heart disease and cancer cause roughly the same number of deaths each year. For Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander women, heart disease is second only to cancer as a cause of death.
About 1 in 16 women age 20 and older (6.2%) have coronary heart disease, the most common type of heart disease:4
About 1 in 16 white women (6.1%), black women (6.5%), and Hispanic women (6%)
About 1 in 30 Asian women (3.2%)
Cardiac Surgery and Heart Transplantation
A surgical procedure that is performed to resolve a health concern related to the heart is called a heart surgery or a heart operation. Heart surgery may involve:
- Correcting damage in the heart, either congenital (such as a hole in the heart) or acquired
- Repairing heart valves that control the flow of blood to and from the heart and maintain blood pressure
- A procedure to implant a device in the heart such as a stent to stabilize and normalize heart function is a more common cardiac surgery
- A heart transplant where a healthy heart from a donor replaces a damaged heart in a recipient
Heart transplantation is a surgery to remove the diseased heart from a person and replace it with a healthy one from an organ donor. To remove the heart from the donor, two or more healthcare providers must declare the donor brain-dead. Before you can be put on a waiting list for a heart transplant, a healthcare provider makes the decision that this is the best treatment choice for your heart failure. A healthcare team also makes sure that you are healthy enough to go through the transplant process.
Diabetes, Obesity & Stroke
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy.
Obesity is a treatable disease that is a worldwide health concern associated with having an excess amount of body fat. It is caused by genetic and environmental factors and can be difficult to control through dieting alone. Obesity is diagnosed by a healthcare provider and is classified as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Nearly 40 percent of Americans have obesity.
Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures).
The three main types of stroke are:
- Ischemic stroke
- Hemorrhagic stroke
- Transient ischemic attack
Advanced Cardiac Imaging
BMC’s Advanced Cardiac Imaging Program (ACIP) offers access to state-of-the-art computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart to patients and referring and community clinicians. The ACIP is collaboration between the Section of Cardiovascular Medicine and the Department of Radiology, with faculty drawn from both departments. Working together, physicians bring expertise in cardiovascular patient care as well as in-depth knowledge of imaging techniques. This cooperative relationship is essential to the program’s success. All studies are interpreted by physicians with advanced training in cardiac MR (CMR), cardiac CT, and/or cardiac PET/CT.
Cardiothoracic surgery
Cardiothoracic surgery is one of the most challenging and demanding areas of surgery. It's also highly competitive with a relatively small number of jobs. The work is extremely rewarding since diseases of the chest are a major cause of ill-health and death throughout the world. As a cardiothoracic surgeon, you will see the immediate and often life-changing results of your work. Since the end of the Second World War cardiothoracic surgery has seen rapid growth, coupled with fast-paced technological changes. The specialty is relatively young and is still evolving.
The main areas of cardiothoracic surgery are:
- adult cardiac surgery
- general thoracic surgery
- congenital cardiac surgery
- heart and lung transplant surgery
Cardiac Electrophysiology & Pacing
Cardiac electrophysiology is the science of elucidating, diagnosing, and treating the electrical activities of the heart. The term is usually used in a clinical context to describe studies of such phenomena by invasive (intracardiac) catheter recording of spontaneous activity as well as of cardiac responses to programmed electrical stimulation (PES), see Clinical cardiac electrophysiology. Cardiac electrophysiology also encompasses basic research and translational research components. Someone who studies cardiac electrophysiology, either clinically or solely through research, is known as a cardiac electro-physiologist.
Cardiac pacing involves the fitting of a pacemaker to regulate the heart rate. A pacemaker is a small, battery-operated device that enables the heart to maintain a regular rhythm. Some pacemakers are permanent (internal) and some are temporary (external). The battery in a permanent pacemaker should last 5-15 years. Temporary pacemakers can be used to regulate the heart rate post-surgery or in emergencies.
Cardiovascular and Emergency Medicine
Cardiovascular medicine is the most comprehensive provider of cardiovascular services specializing in the prevention, detection, management and treatment of adult cardiovascular diseases. It is also a platform for postgraduate education and scientific work in the fields of cardiology, angiology, hypertension and cardiac and vascular surgery.
Emergency medicine, also known as accident and emergency medicine, is the medical speciality concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency physicians care for unscheduled and undifferentiated patients of all ages.
Congenital Heart Disease and Imaging Cardiology
Congenital heart disease is one or more problems with the heart's structure that exist since birth. Congenital means the defect is there from birth. Congenital heart disease, also called congenital heart defect, can change the way blood flows through your heart.
Cardiac imaging is a subspecialty of diagnostic radiology. A cardiac radiologist supervises or performs and then interprets medical images to diagnose diseases of the heart such as heart disease, leaky heart valves and defects in the size and shape of the heart.