What sort of medical specialist is a cardiologist?

A cardiologist is a heart specialist: a physician who diagnoses and treats diseases of the heart and circulatory system. The field is called cardiology, a branch of internal medicine focused on cardiovascular health.

Cardiologists manage conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart-valve disorders, and high blood pressure when it affects cardiovascular health. They may use tests including electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, stress tests, and cardiac imaging to investigate symptoms.

A cardiologist is not the same as a cardiac surgeon. Cardiologists generally provide medical treatment and perform specialized catheter-based procedures, while cardiac surgeons operate on the heart and major blood vessels. Some cardiologists further specialize in electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, or treating children with congenital heart conditions.

The word comes from Greek kardia, meaning “heart,” combined with -logy, meaning the study of. A patient may be referred to a cardiologist for chest pain, breathlessness, fainting, palpitations, or an unusual result on a heart test.