The most important cardiological diseases include
- myocardial infarction
- Heart valve defects
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Heart failure (cardiac insufficiency)
- Diseases of the coronary arteries (coronary heart disease)
- Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis)
Cardiologists use various examination methods to detect such cardiological diseases. These include measuring the electrical activity of the heart (electrocardiography, ECG), cardiac catheter examinations, cardiac ultrasound (echocardiography) and computer tomography of the heart (cardiac CT).
Therapeutic measures in the cardiology department of a hospital include, for example
- Basic intensive medical care
- Insertion of pacemakers
- Treatment of narrowed coronary arteries with stents, PTCA
- Treatment of cardiac arrhythmias with medication or surgical interventions
Surgical interventions on the heart also fall within the field of cardiac surgery.
In Germany, children with heart disease are treated in special pediatric cardiology departments.
