Kay, Ian Patrick

Definitions

Cardiology is the specialty that is concerned with heart disorders and problems. It includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects (defects in the structure of the heart and other blood vessels present at birth), coronary artery disease, heart failure, diseases of the heart valves and electrophysiology (the electrical activities of the heart). Specialists in this field are called cardiologists.moreEchocardiography involves a non-invasive diagnostic test that uses ultrasound waves to create either two-dimensional or three-dimensional images of the heart chambers, valves and surroundingstructures. The images are called an echocardiogram. Electrocardiography is a way to diagnose, evaluate and monitor such things as: heart pumping function and output; murmurs; abnormal heart valves; damage to the heart muscle following a heart attack; infection or inflammation in the sac around the heart (pericarditis); infection on or around the heart valves (infectious endocarditis); the source of a blood clot after a stroke; and congenital heart disease (malformation of the heart or the large blood vessels near the heart).moreAngiography is a procedure performed to view blood vessels in many areas of the body. Traditionally, this is done by injecting a harmless dye that is radiopaque (does not allow X-rays to penetrate)and so the blood vessels can be outlined on X-rays or by using other imaging techniques. Depending on the type of angiogram (X-ray) required, access to the blood vessels is usually gained through the larger arteries, such as in the arm or groin. A catheter (thin, flexible tube) is passed through an artery to the required site and the dye is released into the bloodstream. An X-ray or image is then taken.moreAngioplasty is a minimally invasive surgical repair of a blood vessel, such as a blocked or narrowed coronary (heart) artery, which aims to improve blood flow. This common procedure involvesinserting a thin wire into one of the larger arteries, such as in the arm or groin, to the site requiring repair. When the wire reaches the area of the blockage, a catheter (tube) with a deflated balloon on the end is threaded into the blocked artery under X-ray guidance. A small amount of dye may be injected through the catheter into the bloodstream to help show the blockage on X-ray. (This X-ray picture of the heart is called an angiogram.) When the tube reaches the blockage, the balloon is inflated, forcing the blockage to open by pushing the walls of the artery outwards. Commonly, a stent (artificial tube) may be placed at the site to keep the artery open. Once the balloon has been deflated and withdrawn, the stent remains in place permanently, holding the blood vessel open and restoring blood flow to the arteries and heart muscle.more