What is a cardiology appointment?
A cardiology appointment is a doctor’s appointment that is focused on medical conditions related to the function of the heart. There are many subspecialties in cardiology that are focused on specific heart conditions and surgical procedures. Exactly what type of cardiologist you see will be based on what problems triggered your cardiology referral.
Why would someone visit a cardiologist?
Almost any condition that affects the heart could potentially be treated or monitored by a cardiologist. Basic treatments for most heart conditions can be prescribed by any doctor. If these basic treatments fail, your doctor will often refer you to a cardiologist. Some of the most common conditions that lead to cardiology referral are:
- Chest pain
- Heart failure
- Heart attack (myocardial infarction)
- A high resting heart rate (tachycardia)
- A sensation of an abnormal heartbeat (palpitations)
- Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
- Sudden loss of consciousness (syncope)
- Blockages of the arteries in the heart (atherosclerosis)
- Multiple decades of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or diabetes
What does a cardiologist do on your first visit?
Your first visit with a cardiologist will be similar to a yearly checkup at your primary care doctor’s office. A full history and physical examination will be performed. Almost all cardiologist appointments include an ECG, where numerous stickers are placed on the chest to look at the electrical activity in the heart. Depending on what condition you were sent to the cardiologist for, they may listen to the heart while having you do simple exercises or look at how the heart is moving on an ultrasound.
How do I prepare for a cardiologist appointment?
The majority of cardiologist appointments require little to no preparation. Your cardiologist may want you to fast for 12 hours before certain lab tests, but these do not need to be drawn the same day as the appointment. If you are getting a procedure done at the cardiologist’s office, they may ask you not to take certain medications that morning and to avoid eating before the appointment. They will discuss any of these requirements with you in detail once you arrive.
How does a cardiologist check your heart?
There are many tests that can be done to check on the health of the heart, some of the most common ones are detailed below in the order they are typically performed:
- Auscultation: Listening with a stethoscope for abnormal heart sounds known as murmurs.
- Palpation: Feeling the neck, wrists, and chest to check the pattern and strength of the heartbeat.
- Checking the legs: Looking for swelling that could be an early sign of heart failure.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): Looking at the electrical activity in the heart and any abnormalities in how that electricity flows.
- Blood tests: Checking for any abnormal proteins in the blood that are signs of heart damage or heart failure.
- X-Ray: Looking for any signs that the heart is increasing in size, another sign of heart failure.
- Ultrasound: Looking at the motion of the heart, an excellent test for heart failure and diseases that affect the heart valves.
- Stress tests: Stressing the heart to look for signs that the arteries that feed the heart are blocked. An excellent test for chest pain.
- Catheterization: Threading a wire through the blood vessels of the arm to the heart and injecting dye that allows the blood vessels to show up on X-ray. This allows the cardiologist to both detect and treat any blockages.
Should everyone see a cardiologist?
While heart disease is one of the top killers in the United States, your general provider is more than capable of watching out for its signs and symptoms. Referral to a cardiologist is typically only needed if you develop a condition that puts your heart at risk. Once you see a cardiologist, you typically need regular follow-up appointments. These typically occur once a year unless you have a condition that requires more frequent follow-up.
What are good questions to ask a cardiologist?
As with any doctor’s visit, make sure you ask about all the options available for treatment, what treatment they recommend, and any side effects that you can expect from that treatment. Also, ask about any alarming symptoms that should lead you to come back to the cardiologist or go to an urgent care/emergency room.
