Cardiologists
What if you were on a plane one day and suddenly had a medical emergency, like a heart attack, a stroke, or some other life-threatening condition? Could you survive it? Yes — that could actually happen, if your luck turns out like it did for Dorothy Fletcher. On November 7, 2003, a 67-year-old British woman named Dorothy Fletcher suffered a heart attack while on board a flight headed to the United States. As luck would have it, there happened to be a group of cardiologists nearby on the plane, on their way to attend a medical conference. The moment they heard her daughter, who was traveling with her, crying out for help, they rushed over, gave her first aid, and managed to save her life. According to the British Heart Foundation, there are about 550 million people worldwide living with heart disease, another 60 million people are diagnosed with heart disease every year, and there are 19 million deaths annually from various heart conditions. Heart disease refers to a group of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels, and the most common heart diseases are: coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, cardiomyopathy, and heart valve disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world, which is why cardiologists carry an extremely heavy responsibility — they're tasked with treating and saving as many heart disease patients as possible and helping them live better lives, and they're also responsible for helping people prevent heart disease in the first place. In the lines ahead, you'll learn in more detail about exactly what cardiologists do in hospitals, medical centers, and various healthcare facilities.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Administer emergency cardiac care for life-threatening heart problems, such as cardiac arrest and heart attack.
- Advise patients and community members concerning diet, activity, hygiene, or disease prevention.
- Answer questions that patients have about their health and well-being.
- Calculate valve areas from blood flow velocity measurements.
- Compare measurements of heart wall thickness and chamber sizes to standards to identify abnormalities, using the results of an echocardiogram.
- Conduct electrocardiogram (EKG), phonocardiogram, echocardiogram, or other cardiovascular tests to record patients' cardiac activity, using specialized electronic test equipment, recording devices, or laboratory instruments.
- Conduct exercise electrocardiogram tests to monitor cardiovascular activity under stress.
- Conduct research to develop or test medications, treatments, or procedures that prevent or control disease or injury.
- Conduct tests of the pulmonary system, using a spirometer or other respiratory testing equipment.
- Design and explain treatment plans, based on patient information such as medical history, reports, and examination results.
- Diagnose cardiovascular conditions, using cardiac catheterization.
- Diagnose medical conditions of patients, using records, reports, test results, or examination information.
- Explain procedures and discuss test results or prescribed treatments with patients.
- Inject contrast media into patients' blood vessels.
- Monitor patients' conditions and progress, and reevaluate treatments, as necessary.
- Observe ultrasound display screen, and listen to signals to record vascular information, such as blood pressure, limb volume changes, oxygen saturation, and cerebral circulation.
- Obtain and record patient information, including patient identification, medical history, and examination results.
- Operate diagnostic imaging equipment to produce contrast-enhanced radiographs of heart and cardiovascular system.
- Order medical tests, such as echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, and angiograms.
- Perform minimally invasive surgical procedures, such as implanting pacemakers and defibrillators.
- Perform vascular procedures, such as balloon angioplasty and stents.
- Prescribe heart medication to treat or prevent heart problems.
- Recommend surgeons or surgical procedures.
- Supervise or train cardiology technologists or students.
- Talk to other physicians about patients to create a treatment plan.