Cardiology

Heart Attack and Heart Failure are heart diseases. While they may have some causes common to them, there are many differences between the two conditions.  Heart Attack A heart attack occurs when any of the arteries supplying blood to the heart gets blocked  or is ruptured, and consequently, the blood flow to the heart is severed.  The heart muscles start to die immediately, because of the lack of oxygen, if no immediate medical intervention is made.  A heart attack may also lead to heart failure when it directly impacts the pumping capacity of the heart, and this condition is named acute heart failure. Heart Failure Heart failure is a chronic condition, develops over time and is the gradual weakening of the muscles of the heart. Because of the weakening, the heart becomes incapable of pumping an adequate amount of blood to the other body organs, and the reduced blood flow may lead to complete heart dysfunctioning and failure.  Heart failure ...

Heart block is an abnormal medical condition where the heart beats too slowly because of a disruption in the blood flow between the upper and lower chambers of the heart.  A heart block is usually measured in degrees of severity. In this blog, we shall expand upon heart blockage treatment , diagnosis, and most importantly, its causes. Causes of Heart Block In most cases, heart block is acquired by a patient over time, i.e. some type of damage to one's heart eventually leads to a heart block.  This damage can be a previous heart attack, hypersensitive heart disease (caused by high blood pressure), ageing of conduction system with growing age, over-medication, or a trauma from a previous heart surgery.  Moreover, People suffering from diseases like sarcoidosis and Lenegre’s disease have a high risk of developing a heart block. Furthermore, babies born to mothers with autoimmune conditions can also suffer heart blocks. In such scenarios, mother’s antibodie...

Millions of people across the globe are affected by Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) or heart disease. It is a combined term for many different conditions affecting the heart and its functions. Risk Factors The risk factors for cardiovascular disease can be classified into two groups: one that you can control and the other one beyond your control. Controllable risk factors can be managed by you by making a few lifestyle changes. These include diet, inactivity, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, high cholesterol levels and high BP. Uncontrollable factors include age, ethnicity, gender and family history. Even one factor can put you at the risk of developing CVD. If you have more than one risk factor, the risk multiplies. Meet a heart specialist doctor  to do a risk assessment for yourself. Types of Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular diseases can be broadly classified into five groups. A few of these types fall under more than one group. C...

The heart works very hard to keep your life going and it is important to keep it healthy. It is not always easy to know when something is wrong with its functions. Cardiology deals with the diagnosis and treatment of the disorders of the cardiovascular system. A cardiologist performs tests to check the health of your cardiovascular system through different procedures such as ECG, lung function test and checking the blood pressure and the vessels. Also you should act wisely while choosing a cardiologist in order to finding the right cardiologist for your heart health . There are three types of cardiology, which may be used for diagnosis and treatment either on their own or in combination with the others. Here’s an insight into each one of these. 1. Invasive Cardiology Invasive cardiology involves open surgery or minimally-invasive surgery for identification and treatment of electrical or structural abnormalities of the heart. The common types are: Angioplasty:  It...

While during an emergency a patient is rushed to a nearby hospital, you can always give more thought and do more efforts towards choosing a good cardiologist when it is an elective affair, and there is no emergency as such. The best cardiac treatment can only be provided by an expert cardiologist who specializes in cardiology or in the specific disease domain within which you seek the treatment. Within the broader umbrella of cardiology speciality, there are certainly more divisions or specializations. General Cardiologist They specialize in the treatment concerning medical conditions associated with blood vessels and heart. Interventional Cardiologist These therapy providers specialize in providing and performing certain non-invasive medical procedures for the treatment of heart patients. They perform stenting, angioplasty, atherectomy and other medical procedures that are required by patients who suffer from heart valve disease, coronary artery disease, and others....