cardiologist

A cardiologist is a doctor who specializes in the heart and blood vessels — the expert you are sent to when something seems wrong with your heart's pumping, rhythm, valves or arteries. Think of them as the specialist mechanic for the body's central pump.

Becoming a cardiologist takes years of training beyond general medical school: first internal medicine, then a focused fellowship in cardiology. Cardiologists interpret electrocardiograms and ultrasound scans, manage conditions like high blood pressure and heart failure with medication, and many perform catheter-based procedures such as inserting stents or implanting pacemakers.

Cardiology has sub-specialties: interventional cardiologists treat blocked arteries through catheters, electrophysiologists focus on rhythm problems, and imaging cardiologists specialise in scans. Importantly, a cardiologist is not the same as a cardiac surgeon — surgeons cut and operate; most cardiologists do not perform open-chest surgery.