Our health-care teams are made up of a number of different individuals, depending on the care you require. These interprofessional teams will always include doctors and nurses, but other individuals such as patient care assistants, occupational therapists, social workers, physiotherapists and dietitians, just to name a few, may also be involved in your care. When you are at KGH, you can always count on a range of people to play a key role in your health-care journey. Depending on the nature of your visit, some of the people that you may meet specifically in the Cardiac program include:
- Cardiologist: A cardiologist is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating diseases or conditions of the heart and blood vessels. You might also visit a cardiologist so you can learn about your risk factors for heart disease and find out what you can do to improve your heart health.
- Cardiac surgeon: Also known as a cardiovascular surgeon, this is the doctor who will operate on your heart and blood vessels to repair damage caused by a disease or disorder.
- Interventional cardiologist: An interventional cardiologist is a doctor with additional education and training and is able to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease as well as congenital (present at birth) and structural heart conditions. They will treat you using catheter-based procedures, such as angioplasty and stenting.
- Electrophysiologist: This is a specialist who diagnoses and treats a heart arrhythmia, or problem related to the electrical system in your heart.
- Nurse practitioner: This is a registered nurse who has additional education and experience and is able to order and interpret diagnostic tests, communicate a diagnoses, prescribe drugs and perform specific procedures.
- ECG technician: An electrocardiograph (ECG or EKG) technician is responsible for operating equipment that measures the activity in your heart. This helps your doctor to diagnose and provide you with treatment.
