Cardiology

What is cardiology?

Cardiology is an internal medicine specialty. It focuses on heart function and diseases affecting your heart and blood vessels, including arteries and veins. Cardiologists like Dr. Terzian at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, specialize in cardiology.

Cardiologists might perform minimally invasive procedures like cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, and fitting a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Cardiac surgeons perform procedures like bypass and open heart surgery.

What conditions does cardiology diagnose and treat?

Common conditions that come under the cardiology umbrella include:

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• High cholesterol
• Coronary artery disease (CAD)
• Atherosclerosis
• Congenital heart disease
• Congestive heart failure
• Pericarditis
• Arrhythmias like ventricular tachycardia and atrial fibrillation

The cardiac team at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, uses the latest diagnostic technologies to determine what’s wrong with your cardiovascular system and obtain accurate test results.

Some of the advanced cardiac testing techniques available onsite include electrocardiography (EKG), echocardiography, nuclear stress testing, pulse volume recording, and stress echo testing.

Why might I need cardiology care?

You might need cardiology care if you develop symptoms of heart disease. Examples include:

• Chest pain
• Tightness and/or pressure in the chest
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Racing heartbeat (tachycardia)
• Slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
• Lightheadedness
• Syncope (fainting)
• Tiring easily
• Swelling in the hands, ankles, or feet

You might also benefit from the expertise of Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, if you have an increased risk of developing heart disease. Risk factors for cardiovascular problems include a family history of heart disease, smoking, and having chronic conditions like diabetes.

What treatments are used in cardiology?

In many cases, conservative cardiology treatments like medication and lifestyle changes are effective for heart problems. Many of these conditions result from being overweight or obese. Other contributory factors include unhealthy habits like smoking or excessive alcohol consumption, a poor diet, insufficient exercise, and poorly managed stress.

The Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, team can help you make changes that support better heart health and reduce your risk of heart problems. Some patients also require medications, such as anticoagulants to prevent clots, pills that reduce blood pressure, or medicines that help to regulate the heartbeat.

Minimally invasive cardiac catheterization procedures treat more severe conditions. A common example is balloon angioplasty to improve blood flow through arteries narrowed by atherosclerosis.

To learn more about cardiology and the services Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, provides, call the office today or use the online booking feature to make an appointment.