Cardiac care

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System	Circulatory system
Focus	Cardiology
Subdivisions
Significant diseases	Coronary artery disease, Heart failure, Arrhythmia
Significant tests	Electrocardiogram, Echocardiogram, Cardiac catheterization
Specialist
Glossary

Cardiac care refers to the medical specialty focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases and conditions affecting the heart and circulatory system. This field encompasses a wide range of practices, from preventive measures to complex surgical interventions.

Overview

Cardiac care is a critical component of modern medicine, given the prevalence of heart disease as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The primary goal of cardiac care is to improve the quality of life and survival rates of patients with heart-related conditions.

Subspecialties

Cardiac care includes several subspecialties, each focusing on different aspects of heart health:

• Cardiology: The branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the heart and blood vessels. Cardiologists are trained to diagnose and treat heart diseases, manage heart failure, and perform procedures such as angioplasty.

• Interventional cardiology: A subspecialty of cardiology that deals specifically with catheter-based treatment of heart diseases. Common procedures include angioplasty and stenting.

• Electrophysiology: Focuses on the electrical activities of the heart. Electrophysiologists diagnose and treat arrhythmias through procedures like ablation and the implantation of pacemakers.

• Cardiac surgery: Involves surgical procedures to treat heart conditions. This includes coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), heart valve repair or replacement, and heart transplantation.

Common Conditions

Several common conditions are managed within cardiac care:

• Coronary artery disease: A condition characterized by the narrowing of the coronary arteries due to plaque buildup, leading to reduced blood flow to the heart muscle.

• Heart failure: A chronic condition where the heart is unable to pump blood effectively, leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and fluid retention.

• Arrhythmia: An irregular heartbeat that can lead to complications such as stroke or heart failure if not managed properly.

• Hypertension: High blood pressure, a risk factor for many cardiovascular diseases.

Diagnostic Tools

Cardiac care utilizes a variety of diagnostic tools to assess heart function and diagnose conditions:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG): A test that records the electrical activity of the heart and helps diagnose arrhythmias and other heart conditions.

• Echocardiogram: An ultrasound of the heart that provides images of heart structure and function.

• Cardiac catheterization: A procedure used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions by inserting a catheter into the heart through blood vessels.

Treatment Modalities

Treatment in cardiac care can range from lifestyle modifications and medications to advanced surgical procedures:

• Lifestyle changes: Diet, exercise, and smoking cessation are crucial in managing and preventing heart disease.

• Medications: Include antihypertensives, statins, anticoagulants, and beta-blockers.

• Surgical interventions: Such as coronary artery bypass grafting and heart valve surgery.

• Device implantation: Includes pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).

Also see

• Cardiology
• Heart disease
• Cardiac surgery
• Interventional cardiology
• Electrophysiology

Cardiovascular disease A-Z

Most common cardiac diseases

• Cardiac arrhythmia‎
• Cardiogenetic disorders‎
• Cardiomegaly‎
• Cardiomyopathy‎
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation‎
• Chronic rheumatic heart diseases‎
• Congenital heart defects‎
• Heart neoplasia‎
• Ischemic heart diseases‎
• Pericardial disorders
• Syndromes affecting the heart‎
• Valvular heart disease‎

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Accelerated idioventricular rhythm
• Acute decompensated heart failure
• Arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Athletic heart syndrome
• Atrial flutter
• Atrioventricular fistula
• Cardiovascular disease in Australia
• Autoimmune heart disease

B

• Brown atrophy of the heart

C

• Ebb Cade
• Cardiac allograft vasculopathy
• Cardiac amyloidosis
• Cardiac asthma
• Cardiac tamponade
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiogeriatrics
• Cardiorenal syndrome
• Cardiotoxicity
• Carditis
• Coronary artery aneurysm
• Coronary artery anomaly
• Coronary artery disease
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
• Coronary artery ectasia
• Coronary occlusion
• Coronary steal
• Coronary thrombosis
• Coronary vasospasm
• Cœur en sabot
• Coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy

D

• Duke Treadmill Score
• Duroziez's disease

E

• Eisenmenger's syndrome
• Embryocardia
• Endocardial fibroelastosis
• Eosinophilic myocarditis

H

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
• Heart to Heart (1949 film)
• High-output heart failure
• Hyperdynamic precordium

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

I

• Idiopathic giant-cell myocarditis
• Interventricular dyssynchrony
• Intraventricular dyssynchrony
• Isolated atrial amyloidosis

K

• Keshan disease

L

• Loeffler endocarditis

M

• Mydicar
• Myocardial bridge
• Myocardial disarray
• Myocardial rupture
• Myocardial scarring
• Myocardial stunning
• Myocarditis

N

• Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis

O

• OLR1
• Ostial disease

P

• Papillary fibroelastoma
• Pathophysiology of heart failure
• Postpericardiotomy syndrome
• Pulmonary vein stenosis

R

• Right axis deviation
• Roemheld syndrome

S

• Saturated fat and cardiovascular disease
• SCAR-Fc
• Shone's syndrome
• Strain pattern
• Subacute bacterial endocarditis
• Sudden cardiac death of athletes

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T

• Traumatic cardiac arrest

V

• Ventricular aneurysm
• Vibroacoustic disease
• Viral cardiomyopathy

W

• Waon therapy