General Information About Cardiology Princeton NJ Residents Need To Know

By Andrea Davidson


Cardiology is a medical specialty that deals with disorders of the heart. It includes the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure, congenital heart defects, electrophysiology, valvular heart disease, and coronary heart disease. Specialists in this field are called cardiologists. To provide better health care cardiology Princeton NJ based hospital departments are fully equipped with the latest medical technology.

The center of focus of cardiology is the human heart. This organ has other features namely anatomical and physiological. The physiological features include heart sounds, systole, after load among others. Anatomical feature are atria, ventricles, valves among others. These features function constantly and are subject to dysfunction and failure. It is the role of cardiologists to ensure that when this occurs, it is restored almost immediately.

There are a number of disorders that are precursors of cardiovascular and heart disease. Today, these medical conditions are among the major causes of deaths in many countries. This specialty is concerned with normal functionality and the deviation from a healthy heart. There are those disorders that occur outside the heart and those that directly involve it. These disorders interfere with coronary circulation and cause devastating effects.

The heart is a vital organ of your body and requires specialized care. Most complications that affect this organ are beyond the scope of a general doctor. There are a number of symptoms that are indicators of heart complications and require special testing. These include shortness of breath, chest pains and dizzy spells. Other symptoms that require the attention of a cardiologist are ECG changes and heart murmurs. Cardiologists also offer counseling and educate patients about potential risks and prevention measures.

The process of making a diagnosis of a heart condition requires a number of specialized tests. These include echocardiogram, cardiac catheterization and ambulatory ECG among others. A physical examination is necessary to check the body of the patient, blood pressure, lungs, heart and the blood vessels. A review of the medical history helps to identify any underlying problem. In some cases, these may not be sufficient for a diagnosis and therefore additional tests are required. Most cases are treated using medications and appropriate lifestyle adjustments.

Cardiology is classified into three main areas namely invasive, interventional and non-invasive. A catheter is used in interventional procedures which are widely applied in the treatment of any blocked blood arteries. It is preferred by most patients because it is painless, comfortable and the time taken to recover of very short. Moreover, there are no resulting scars.

Invasive cardiovascular procedures refer to tests and treatments in which diagnostic and therapeutic tools are inserted into the body to cure heart disorders. Some of the tools used include catheters, stents and balloons. There are various invasive procedures including angiography, cardiac catheterization and pacemaker insertion. These procedures should only be performed by qualified cardiologists.

The branch of non-invasive cardiology mainly involves the use of imaging techniques to detect any heart disorders. In these procedures, no insertions are made in the human body and the tests performed are external. There are numerous tests in cardiology Princeton NJ residents can get. The non-invasive ones include Holter monitoring, ECGs, echocardiography, exercise tolerance tests and tilt table testing. Most of the patients who undergo these tests may experience unexplained chest pain, have previous cases of heart problems or may be suffering from a valve disease.




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