Note: Picture on the left sketch by Thohe

For certain problems involving the heart and blood vessels, your primary care physician may manage your care, for example, high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol. Your family doctor will also take the lead in helping you to lose a few pounds, get more exercise, or stop smoking, if th4ese are changes you need to make. But, if your heart problems are more complicated, it’s time to see a cardiologist.

Cardiologists are experts when it comes to diagnosing and treating hear disease. And, if you have another medical condition, your cardiologist will know how to plan your care in a way that takes into account all of your health needs.

Sometimes, your family doctor will ask a cardiologist to evaluate your heart and simply recommend the right treatment someone with a strong family history of heart disease. In other cases, however your heart problem may be serious enough to require the ongoing care of a cardiologist.

Chest pain or discomfort is one of the most common reasons to see a cardiologist. Also known as angina, it may be cause by a build up of cholesterol deposits in the coronary arteries can suddenly break open and cause a blood clot for form, completely blocking blood flow to the heart and causing a heart attack. A cardiologist will use an electrocardiogram, as well as blood test, to determine whether you have had heart attack and use this information to plan the appropriate treatment for you.

When there’s a disturbance in the rhythm of your heartbeat, called an arrhythmia, you also need to see a cardiologist. Unexplained shortness of breath might be another reason, as difficulty in breathing could be a sign of congestive heart failure or a problem with the valves in your heart.

Are you at Risk for Heart Disease?

Why do some people live to vigorous old age while others die of heart attack in their early 40s? We don’t have a complete answer, but, we do know that certain characteristics increase the risk of heart disease.

The bad news is that the more of “risk factors” you have, the greater your chances of developing heart disease. The good news is that it can be prevented or controlled by following a healthy lifestyle and, if necessary, taking medications prescribed by your doctor.

If you have any of the following major risk factors for heart disease, ask your doctor what you can do to make heart healthy changes in your life.

- High blood pressure

- High blood cholesterol

- Diabetes

- Obesity

- Smoking

- Physical inactivity

- Increasing age

- Family history of heart disease

Warning signs of a heart Attack

Some people say a heat attack feels like an elephant is sitting on your chest. It’s true that crushing, sever chest pain that last several minutes is one of the most common signs, but here are others you should be aware of , too. The following symptoms, especially when several of them occur at one time, are important warnings signs.

-         Pressure, squeezing, or a feeling of heaviness in your chests, even it its not sever.

-         Pain or pressure in your neck, , jaw, back or arm.

-         Heavy seating

-         Paleness breaking out in a cold sweat, or feeling strong, rapid, or uneven heart beats.

-         Difficult catching your breath

-         Feeling sick to your stomach

-         Light headiness or fainting

-         Feeling weak or tier for no particular reason

Women, the elderly, and those with diabetes often experience mild or unusual symptoms, such as a backache or nausea, which can make a heat attach harder to detect. For most people chewing one aspirin while waiting for help is a good idea, as it can help restore blood flow to the heart.

Medication s and Treatments

Today’s cardiologist have a whole array of powerful and effective medications to choose from in treating heart disease and are using them to help people live longer and healthier lives.

Interventional cardiologists have a lot of weapons to widen the narrowed sections of clogged arteries. A catheter is carefully advanced through the vessels into the clogged artery and used to inflate a tiny balloon, in angioplasty. Another device can be used to cut away or drill through the cholesterol blockage, a technique called atherectomy. Often, interventional cardiologists also insert tiny metal tubes or scaffolds called stents to prop open an artery that had been severely blocked. Infact, because of their effectiveness, a majority of angioplasty procedures now involve the use of an intra-coronary stent.

Moreover, drug coated stents are available which are proved to be 100% efficacious to deal with the blockages.

Research Advances, Now and in the future

Some researches advances today are very close to being ready for everyday use, such simple blood test that could show your risk well before any symptoms develop. This would enable preventive treatment to start while you’re still healthy.

Some innovations need more research and testing but still hold great promise. Before long it may be common to use MRI or CT scanning to take quick and painless pictures of the arteries of your heart. Cardiovascular surgeons are investigating the use of robotic arms for doing delicate procedures through small keyhole-size openings. Other scientists are focusing on ways to stimulate new blood vessels to grow in the place of severely narrowed arteries. Still others are looking into ways to uncover and repair genes that put entire families at risk for sudden death.

Advances such as these have allowed cardiologist to be recognized throughout the medical profession for their dedication to research and the high standard they apply to determining the value of each new therapy.

Courtesy: Dr. Satej Janorkar (Viva West)