Your primary care physician is perfectly placed to offer routine check-ups, vaccines and provide treatment when you’re not feeling well. But when battling a heart problem, your primary care physician will not have answers. In this regard, you might need to book your appointment with a heart doctor, also known as a cardiologist.
Cardiologists are doctors who have extra education and training in preventing, diagnosing and treating heart conditions. They are experts on the heart muscle itself and the arteries and veins that carry blood.
It is important to note that there are different types of cardiologists to partner with. Understanding the role each plays goes a long way in making sure you find the ideal one for your condition. Among the most common types of cardiologists include general cardiologist, congenital cardiologist, heart failure cardiologist and interventional cardiologist.
For many people, choosing a heart doctor starts with a primary care physician. If go to the doctor with certain symptoms or you have a family history of heart disease, your doctor may run tests to check for heart disease.
In the event that these tests show you have heart disease, your primary care physician will most likely refer you to a heart doctor. It is a good idea to see a cardiologist if you have diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or a history of smoking or you currently smoke.
You can also choose to look for a heart doctor if you had a heart problem in the past but don’t anymore, like a heart problem during your childhood or pregnancy. Both of these past problems can increase your risk of another heart problem in the future.
Choosing a heart doctor is not a decision to make lightly. If you’re trying to choose from a list of options, ask yourself a few important questions to narrow it down. What is the cardiologist’s office located? What are the cardiologist’s credentials? Is the cardiologist covered by my insurance?
Once you’ve chosen a heart doctor, you’ll need to prepare for your visit. You need to write down your personal health history and the health history of your family, Not down a list of medications you’re taking and gather any recent results from heart tests. You should also make a list of questions to ask your cardiologist.
When you see your heart doctor, they may perform some tests or refer you to another specialist for a test or treatment.
