Interventional cardiology is a branch of cardiology with one to two years of additional education and training in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease as well as congenital (present at birth) and structural heart conditions through catheter-based procedures such as angioplasty and stenting that deals specifically with the catheter based treatment of structural heart diseases. The event that began the revolution in cardiology was the performance of coronary interventions by Andreas Gruentzig in 1977. It is a non-surgical option which uses a catheter – a small, flexible tube – to repair damaged or weakened vessels, narrowed arteries, or other affected parts of the heart structure. The interventional cardiology or radiology procedures are generally less invasive than traditional surgery. In most cases, these procedures require only one small incision for insertion of the catheter. Most of the patients do not require general anesthesia and some operation can take as few as 30 minutes to perform and avoidance of the scars and pain, and long post-operative recovery. Interventional Cardiology procedure involves small incision in the arm or groin and threads a catheter into a blood vessel. The catheter is then guided through the blood vessel to the heart and also a collapsed stent is placed over the balloon at the tip of the catheter. When the balloon inflates, the stent pops open and reinforces the artery walls. The balloon and catheter are then withdrawn and the stent remains permanently. Coronary intervention has not fully matured. Stents with three components (metal, polymer, and drug) have been highly successful. The dream has in part been realized by the development of completely bioresorbable stents. The procedures of today may seem crude in the distant future there are dreams that remain to be realized. Others have not yet been dreamed.

A pediatric cardiologist is a pediatrician who has received extensive training in diagnosing and treating children's cardiac problems. Evaluation and treatment may begin with the fetus since heart problems can now be detected before birth and also responsible for the diagnosis of congenital heart defects, performing diagnostic procedures such as echocardiograms, cardiac catheterizations, and for the ongoing management of the sequel of heart disease in infants, children and adolescents. The division is actively involved in research aimed at preventing both congenital and acquired heart disease in children and also Pediatric heart surgeons treat complex congenital heart defects in newborns, children, as well as adults. Congenital heart deficiency is very unique from the types of heart diseases that are common among adults. Repairing hearts in small bodies todays an added challenge.

The cardiac imaging also known as Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), is a imaging medical technology for the non-nosy assessment of the activity and structure of the cardiovascular system with division of Cardiovascular Imaging clarifies the cross sectional imaging studies of the heart and vascular system using Computed Tomography (CT or "CAT" scans) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Both CT and MRI are non-invasive imaging modalities, which uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves and a computer to produce detailed pictures of the structures within the heart. It is used to detect or monitor cardiac disease and to evaluate the heart's anatomy and function in patients with congenital heart disease. MUSC operates the most up-to-date, cutting edge imaging equipment to ensure optimal diagnostic quality in patient care while also minimizing patient exposure to ionizing radiation.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. Cardiovascular disease includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). It's usually associated with a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries – known as atherosclerosis – and an increased risk of blood clots. It can also be associated with damage to arteries in organs such as the brain, heart, kidneys and eyes. Cardiovascular disease is a term that refers to more than one disease of the circulatory system including the heart and blood vessels, whether the blood vessels are affecting the lungs, the brain, kidneys or other parts of the body. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in adult Canadian men and women. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death. In 2008, 30% of all global death is attributed to cardiovascular diseases. It is also estimated that by 2030, over 23 million people will die from cardiovascular diseases each year.

Heart failure (HF) sometimes known as congestive heart failure is a common condition that develops after the heart muscle doesn't pump blood as well as it should. Certain conditions, such as narrowed arteries in your heart (coronary artery disease) or high blood pressure, gradually leave your heart too weak or stiff to fill and pump efficiently or weakened by diseases of the heart including heart attacks and other medical conditions. Heart failure occurs when the main pumping chambers of your heart (the ventricles) may become stiff and not fill properly between beats especially during increased activity or under stress. In addition, the heart muscle may become damaged or weakened and couldn’t relax properly to accommodate the flow of blood back from the lungs to the heart. These flaws in heart function can cause fluid to back up in your lungs and in other parts of your body such as your ankles. The congestion in your lungs and lack of oxygen may make you feel tired and short of breath. Sometimes the fluid in your lungs can accumulate to the point where it can cause a life-threatening condition called acute pulmonary edema, requiring emergency treatment.

The term diabetic cardiovascular disease (DCD) refers to heart disease that develops in people who have diabetes which increases your risk of heart attack and clot-related stroke (cardiovascular events). Peripheral artery disease — a case in which your arteries narrow, reducing blood discharge to your arms and legs — also increases your risk of cardiovascular accident. Diabetes is a disease in which the body's blood glucose (sugar) level is too high and affects your body's ability to produce or use insulin. Normally, your body turns the food you eat into energy. Insulin is released to aid transport this energy to the cells. Insulin acts as a “key.” There is a clear-cut relationship betwixt diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Coronary heart disease is recognized to be the caused because of a waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries which causes death for 80% of people with diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality for people with diabetes and Atherosclerosis is also the most common cause of cardiovascular disease. DCD can also be caused by the Interaction of Coronary Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, and Diabetes. CHD reduces the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle. High blood pressure and diabetes may cause harmful changes in the structure and function of the heart and such as an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, overweight and smoking. Nonetheless, as the extent of diabetes regularly increases, so does the number of new cases of heart disease and cardiovascular complications.

Cardiac regeneration is reparative stem cells have the capability to restore function to damaged tissue by renewing cell growth in cardiac cells destroyed by heart disease or a rapidly evolving and controversial field of research. The identification some 12 years ago of progenitor cells that reside within the heart spurred enthusiasm for cell-based regenerative therapies and approximately 15.5 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack, angina or heart failure. Here’s is heart regeneration strategy which requires the injection of exogenous cells into the affected area of the heart. These transplanted cells could generate and repopulate the injured area with myocardium. Complementary regenerative strategies to cell transplantation are simultaneously being pursued by the field.

Cardiac dysrhythmia which is another name of cardiac arrhythmia, is a group of situations in which the heartbeat is uneven, too fast, or too slow, most cases are harmless, mainly there are of four types of arrhythmia: extra beats, supraventricular tachycardias, ventricular arrhythmias, and bradyarrhythmias. but some arrhythmias are extremely dangerous and require treatment and management, most of them have felt their heart beat very fast, felt a "wiggling" in their chest or thought that their heart was "leaping a beat." These can be symptoms of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. Women who have paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, a type of atrial fibrillation that is intermittent (or comes and goes), may have a faster heart rate response than men, and tend to have longer episodes. Sudden cardiac death is a sudden, unexpected death caused by loss of heart function. Heart rate which is too fast above 100 beats per minute in adults is known as tachycardia and if it is below 60 beats per minute – is known as bradycardia and it may be caused by many different factors, including: Coronary artery disease, electrolyte imbalances in your blood (such as sodium or potassium). Changes in your heart muscle. Men Baseline Heart Rate on average is slower compared to women and this kind of differences is seen in girls, on an average, as young as five years old. There is also a shorter sinus node refractory time – this means that it takes a shorter time for the SA node to recover and become ready to fire an impulse again and also women with diabetes have higher CVD mortality rates than men with diabetes.

Critical cardiac care (CIC) which is also known as coronary care unit (CCU) is a hospital ward specialized in the care of patients with heart attacks, unstable angina, cardiac dysrhythmia and (in practice) various other cardiac conditions that require continuous monitoring and treatment or first aid treatment till the doctor comes. There are also units available in the hospitals to take care of the emergency situation. The Cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) is a specialized ICU dealing with cardiac patients and is usually staffed by cardiologists. It offers critical care staff especially trained in acute coronary syndromes and has additional technology such as intra-aortic balloon pumps, etc.

Cardiovascular surgery which is also known as surgery thoracic surgery is operated on the heart or great vessels by cardiac surgeons and it is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thorax. There are five types of cardiac surgery 1) Open heart surgery 2) Modern beating-heart surgery 3) Heart transplant 4) Coronary artery bypass grafting 5) Minimally invasive surgery and surgeries are done to treat complexity of ischemic heart disease, correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart disease and atherosclerosis and advancement of cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass techniques has greatly reduced the mortality rates of these procedures. The surgery requires postoperative care to avoid complications. laceration care is needed to avoid infection and minimize scarring. Swelling and loss of appetite are common, As mentioned Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most common type of heart surgery. CABG improves blood flow to the heart.

Cancer and cardiovascular disease are the leading causes of mortality in many parts of the world and Cardio-oncology is the intersection of heart conditions in patients who have been treated for cancer. There are several reasons for both diseases occurring in the same patient. Coronary artery disease (CAD) and Cancer share risk factors such as age, use of tobacco and obesity. Other reasons may be the consequences of radio- and chemo-therapy in long-term survivors of malignancy. These treatments have a direct impact on the heart, which require, in some cases, surgical correction. Malignancy can also occur during long-term follow-up after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). The increase in diagnostic facilities makes the detection of heart disease and treatable cancer also more likely.

Atherosclerosis is a common form of heart disease of the arteries characterized by the deposition of plaques of fatty material on their inner walls eventually restricts blood flow and plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood later plaque hardens and narrows your arteries which limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body and this constricted circulation leads to less oxygen for the heart muscle, resulting in chest pain (angina), usually following exercise or excitement. It can also lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke, and stresses the heart muscle to the point of failure, which is what happens during a heart attack which may even lead to death. The disease can influence any artery in the body along with arteries in the heart, brain, arms, legs, pelvis, and kidneys which results in different diseases may develop based on which arteries are affected.

People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher are considered obese. The term obesity is used to describe the health condition of anyone significantly above his or her ideal healthy weight. Obesity increases the risk for heart disease and stroke. But it harms more than just the heart and blood vessel system. It's also a major cause of gallstones, osteoarthritis and respiratory problems. Obesity is intimately intertwined with multiple health conditions that underlie cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure, diabetes, and abnormal blood cholesterol. In addition, weight gain is a frequent consequence of heart-damaging lifestyle choices such as lack of exercise and a fat-laden diet. Obesity also can lead to heart failure. This is a serious condition in which your heart can't pump enough blood to meet your body's needs.

Cardiology conferences includes the Cardiac Drugs which are used in any way to treat conditions of the heart or the circulatory or vascular system. Many classes of cardiovascular agents are available to treat the various cardiovascular conditions. They are a complicated group of drugs with many being used for multiple heart conditions. Prescription drugs and medicines for diseases relating to the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels. In this sub topic we have Sodium, potassium, calcium channel blockers, ACE-inhibitors and Cardiac biomarkers. There are 6 associations and societies and the main association for Cardiac Therapeutic Agents in USA. 50 universities are working on Cardiac Therapeutic Agents. There are 120 Companies in USA that are making Cardiac Therapeutic Agents in Cardiology. Around 6 new drugs were introduced in 2015 and 2 drugs were introduced in 2016. There are many types of cardiovascular drugs in the market that include Corlanor (ivabradine), Kanuma (sebelipase alfa), Byvalson (nebivolol and valsartan), Yosprala (aspirin and omeprazole).

An echocardiogram, often referred to as a cardiac echo or simply an echo, is a sonogram of the heart. (It is not abbreviated as ECG, because that is an abbreviation for an electrocardiogram.) Echocardiography uses standard two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and Doppler ultrasound to create images of the heart. Echocardiography has become routinely used in the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients with any suspected or known heart diseases. It is one of the most widely used diagnostic tests in cardiology. It can provide a wealth of helpful information, including the size and shape of the heart (internal chamber size quantification), pumping capacity, and the location and extent of any tissue damage. An echocardiogram can also give physicians other estimates of heart function, such as a calculation of the cardiac output, ejection fraction, and diastolic function (how well the heart relaxes).

Sports Cardiology achieves heart screenings that detect potentially serious cardiovascular issues in young athletes. Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the major reason of death in exercising young athletes, and is most commonly set off by problems as structural heart disorders or electrical circuitry issues which are not commonly found during routine physical examinations. Most of the conditions that cause sudden cardiac death in young athletes are evaluated by an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a non-invasive test which calculates the electrical activity of the heart. Athletes with authorized cardiovascular disease or those at risk have particular goals and objectives in mind. They want to continue to play their sport and be very safe. The main aim of the Sports Cardiology Center is to work with any athlete forth the spectrum - professional athletes, recreational exercisers, to weekend warriors to help them reach these goals.

Advances in medicine means that if CHD is detected at an early stage it can be treated successfully to extend the survival rate. Successful treatment is more likely if the disease is detected at its earliest stages. Our current research focuses on the early detection of CHD in order to halt or reverse the progress of the disease. The on-going research includes pioneering the use of heart scanning in the early diagnosis of heart disease in diabetics, Development of Nuclear Cardiology techniques for the detection of heart disease, Drug development and evaluation of treatments used in heart disease, Identification of novel biological markers to predict the presence of heart disease, Analysis of ethnic and socio-economic differences in heart disease risk.