HEART SURGERY

For people without known heart disease, a cardiovascular check-up can be a nerve-racking experience. Read these tips to ensure your appointment with the cardiologist goes smoothly.

When a cardiologist or heart specialist needs to examine the coronary arteries of a patient’s heart, they’ll perform a coronary angiogram.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the top causes of death in much of the developed world. Both cardiologists and cardiac surgeons (also referred to as cardiothoracic surgeons) lead the fight against this deadly threat. While both professions are concerned with treatments of heart conditions, there are some critical differences between the two related fields. Both start their journeys by attending higher education programs that teach the building blocks of medicine, but that is where the similarities end. After a few years of medical education, their training diverges, the duties they perform differ, and their specialties can vary greatly.