Cardiology is a specialty practice of medicine that deals with the many types of heart disease and the many types of treatments that can successfully extend life or treat cardiac-related symptoms.
What many individuals do not realize is that cardiologists do not perform cardiac surgery. Cardiologists refer patients who need surgery to cardiac surgeons and then continue a treatment plan after surgery. The two medical specialties go hand in hand but are uniquely different. Knowing about cardiologists and what they do is important when experiencing any type of heart disease or issue. Both specialties are equally important especially in severe cases of heart disease.
Cardiologists are usually recommended by a General Practitioner (usually a family physician), and if a problem requires surgery then a cardiologist refers a patient to a cardiac surgeon. After surgery, during the recovery period, the cardiologist then again steps in and does most of the follow-up treatments.
Reasons to seek out a cardiologist
Any heart arrhythmia, (which is an unusual beating of the heart), high blood pressure that cannot be controlled by a general practitioner, chest pain, swollen legs (this signals that the heart is not pumping properly), jaw or neck pain (which can also be a sign of a heart attack), or any congenital deformities of the heart plus diabetes will warrant a visit and determination by a cardiologist.
There is an extensive list of symptoms that may signal heart problems, even excessive exhaustion can be a sign, so a visit to a physician is in order whenever unusual physical signs show themselves.
Latest treatments can extend life
While some minor forms of heart disease such as blockage of the arteries or excessively high blood pressure can be treated by drugs, lifestyle changes, or minor surgeries, heart failure is considered the most deadly form of heart disease.
Although the advances in treatment have taken enormous strides in the past few years, especially in the area of pharmaceutical treatment, the stage of heart failure matters. Pharmaceutical intervention is rapidly gaining ground in the newest of treatments in extending life, but the overall health of a patient, their age, and the “heart age” of the patient matters in the success of the treatments.
“Heart Age” is not the same as the overall age of a patient
A heart can appear older and have issues related to more advanced patient age, than the actual age of a patient. Smoking, poor eating habits genetics and bad lifestyle choices can make a heart age ahead of the actual age of the patient.
Successful pharmaceutical treatment of advanced or even moderate heart failure will be influenced greatly by the heart age of a patient, more so than their actual age.
Heart age is important to cardiologists as it can determine the type of treatment needed or the actual damage that appears to a heart. A heart is a muscle, and like all muscles, abuse such as smoking can damage it and make it “older” than a person’s actual age. The functioning decreases with comorbidities such as diabetes, kidney disease, blocked arteries, and high blood pressure.
Treatment of all comorbidities is addressed by a good cardiologist in order to effectively treat minor or major heart disease, especially in the case of heart failure. Surgery is generally not used to treat heart failure except in cases of specific causes such as a blocked arterial valve or valves, or an arrhythmia that is congenital.
In these cases, blockages are removed, via surgery or shunts implanted, and arrhythmias can sometimes be corrected via implantable devices. Most cases of heart failure however fall into the laps of cardiologists by using the latest in pharmaceutical treatments, since there is no cure for heart failure and no guarantee of lifespan with or without surgical intervention.
A special formula is used by cardiologists to determine heart age and effective treatment for all types of heart disease. In rare cases, a heart transplant is done but these are extremely rare, and all circumstances must be perfect.
What pharmaceutical treatments for heart disease exist now?
The latest pharmaceutical treatment for the most severe form of heart disease, heart failure, is a new drug that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved in May of 2020. Called Farxiga (dapagliflozin) it has shown promise in extending the lifespan and reducing hospitalizations in all stages of heart failure.
As stated before, there is no cure for heart failure. For less severe forms of heart disease, such as high cholesterol and palpitations, medications do exist, such as Lipitor, for cholesterol, and these drugs are used alongside lifestyle changes.
Knowledge of all the therapies will include management of diabetes, management of blood pressure issues, and monitoring of chemicals within the blood with routine blood tests, as even too much or too little potassium can cause heart attacks and heart problems.
