Should heart conditions be treated by cardiology or cardiac surgery?
Dec 03, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Tian Hongbo
Introduction
Whether heart conditions should be treated by cardiology or cardiac surgery depends on the type of disease. Cardiology focuses on diagnosing and treating conditions such as angina, heart failure, and arrhythmias; patients with these symptoms should visit the cardiology department. Cardiothoracic surgery deals with diagnoses and treatments including traumatic injuries to the heart and major blood vessels, surgical treatment of arrhythmias, and heart, lung, or heart-lung transplants; patients with these conditions typically need to seek care in the cardiac surgery department.
Whether cardiac conditions should be referred to cardiology or cardiothoracic surgery depends on the type of disease and can involve either the department of cardiology or the department of cardiac surgery.
1. Department of Cardiology: Also known as the cardiovascular medicine department, this clinical specialty primarily diagnoses and treats cardiovascular diseases. If a patient experiences symptoms such as angina, heart failure, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, as well as conditions like myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, sudden cardiac death, or acute myocardial infarction, they should generally visit the cardiology department at a hospital.
2. Department of Cardiac Surgery: This usually refers to cardiovascular surgery and includes treatment for both cardiac and general thoracic surgical conditions. The department manages diseases such as traumatic injuries to the heart and major blood vessels, congenital heart defects, acquired heart valve diseases, pericardial diseases, cardiac tumors, vascular diseases, interventional therapeutic procedures, surgical treatments for arrhythmias, and heart-lung or cardiopulmonary transplantation. Patients with any of these conditions typically need to seek care in the cardiac surgery department.
If patients experience cardiac discomfort or suspect they may have a heart condition, it is recommended that they promptly visit a hospital for appropriate diagnostic evaluations and timely treatment to prevent adverse effects on their health.
