Your heart care team: Cardiologist

If you have heart disease, there's a good chance that you'll be referred to a cardiologist for some of your care.

Your primary care physician may recommend a cardiologist, or you may choose one yourself.

The cardiologist usually serves as a consultant to other doctors, although many provide general medical care for their patients. As your cardiac care proceeds, your cardiologist will guide your care and plan tests and treatment with the rest of your health care team.

Cardiology, or the discipline of medicine that specializes in heart disease, is a complex and sophisticated field.

A cardiologist has special training and skill in finding, treating and preventing diseases of the heart and blood vessels in adults.
A pediatric cardiologist has special training and skill in finding, treating and preventing heart and blood vessel disease in infants, children and teenagers. In some cases, the pediatric cardiologist begins diagnosis and treatment in the fetus and continues treatment into the patient's adulthood.

After four years of medical school, these highly trained physicians spend from six to eight additional years in specialized training.

A cardiologist receives three years of training in internal medicine and three or more years in specialized cardiology training.
A pediatric cardiologist receives three years of training in pediatrics, and three or more years in specialized pediatric cardiology training.

The most important member of your health care team: You

Remember, you are also a member of your health care team. Your active participation is what makes medicine regimens and lifestyle improvements successful.