Cardiology
Cardiology is the medical specialty that explores the heart and its diseases. The doctor who cares is called the cardiologist. By extension, he is also interested in vascular disease.
The cardiac examination
Search factors cardiovascular risk:
* Elderly
* Smoking
* Hypertension (Taken from the Blood Pressure)
* Dyslipidemia (Design Exploration of a lipid abnormality)
* Diabetes (for a measurement of FPG)
* Obesity (BMI calculation)
* Sedentary lifestyle
Some of these cardiovascular risk factors are known to change, and are important to investigate the extent they can be modified precisely, that is to say, reduced, treated, eradicated, etc.., In the case of smoking, of hypertension, dyslipidaemia of, overweight, diabetes, etc.. instead of eg age or family history, which are not modifiable.
History (interview):
* Search for chest pain, shortness of breath (dyspnea), palpitations
Clinical examination:
* Cardiac auscultation,
* Taking the pulse and blood pressure,
* Auscultation of lungs
* Research of pulse, auscultation of the vessels in search of a breath
* For signs of heart failure: peripheral edema, enlarged liver ...
Terminology
Cardiology can be divided into sub-specialties:
* Rhythmology who studies cardiac arrhythmias and conduction disorders,
* Angiology who studies diseases of blood vessels,
* Phlebology who studies diseases of veins,
* Pediatric cardiology in children.
Depending on the technique used, we may have a case:
* Hemodynamicien analyzing pressures and heart rates following different methods,
* Practicing the coronary angiography to visualize the coronary arteries,
* Cardiologists who will dilate the diseased coronary arteries using a balloon inserted through blood,
* Electrophysiologist who analyzes the electrical phenomena of the heart by inserting probes into the heart chambers.
* Raises stimulating pacemakers or implantable defibrillators.
* Echocardiographer examining the heart with the aid of ultrasound
Invasive cardiology is to explore the heart by inserting probes directly into the heart chambers. These sensors are mounted through the skin by the venous or arterial network.
Interventional cardiology involves the treatment of heart disease by methods of invasive cardiology.
Academic Organization
Academic cardiology is organized through national scientific societies that organize conferences, publish journals and select panels of experts on specific subjects to publish recommendations.
In France, it is the French Society of Cardiology (SFC), whose members are appointed by cooptation, which has that role. The SFC has several more specialized subsidiaries (echocardiography, Rhythm ...).
European National Societies are meeting within the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), whose annual convention held in late August and which publishes the European Heart Journal.
In the United States, the American College of Cardiology takes this role.
There are also organizations together professionals and volunteers whose purpose is the dissemination of information to the general public. This is the case of the French Federation of Cardiology in France, and the American Heart Association the United States, this latest addition to publishing in scientific journals of cardiology and organizing its own international convention.
Reviews of Cardiology
There are numerous professional journals on cardiology, the most prestigious being in English. We can cite among them:
* Circulation (common abbreviation: Circ.)
* Journal of the American College of Cardiology (J Am Coll Cardiol);
* American Journal of Cardiology (Am J Cardiol);
* American Heart Journal (Am Heart J);
* Journal of the European Society of Cardiology - European Heart Journal (Eur Heart J);
* Formerly British Heart heart.
In German, one can cite Herz.
In French, include:
* The Journal of Cardiology;
* The Archives of heart disease;
* The Cardiologist, newspaper syndicate;
* Letter from the cardiologist;
* The echocardiography.
Read also Heart
