Cardiology

Cardiology is the branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the heart and blood vessels. The human heart is a complex organ, consisting of two ventricles and two atria. Coronary arteries feed the heart the blood it needs to sustain itself.

Selected topics in cardiology:

• Anatomy & Physiology
  • Basic anatomy (Structure of the heart)
    • Papillary muscle
    • Pericardium
    • Purkinje fibers
  • Circulatory system (Blood supply of the body)
    • Cardiac output
  • Pulmonary circulation (Oxygenation of the blood)
  • Coronary circulation (Blood supply of the heart)
  • Cardiac pacemaker (Electrical system of the heart)
  • Basic cardiac physiology
    • Systole
    • Heart sounds
• Disorders of the coronary circulation
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Coronary heart disease (Ischaemic heart disease)
  • Acute coronary syndrome
    • Angina
    • Myocardial infarction (Heart attack)
    • Cardiac arrest
• Disorders of the myocardium (muscle of the heart)
  • Cardiomyopathy
    • Ischemic cardiomyopathy
    • Non-ischemic cardiomyopathy
      • Amyloid cardiomyopathy
      • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) (Idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis (IHSS))
      • Dilated cardiomyopathy
        • Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
        • Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia
        • Tachycardia induced cardiomyopathy
        • Idiopathic nonischemic cardiomyopathy
  • Heart failure
    • Congestive heart failure
    • Systolic heart failure
    • Diastolic heart failure
• Disorders of the pericardium (outer lining of the heart)
  • Pericardial tamponade
  • Constrictive pericarditis
• Disorders of the heart valves
  • Aortic valve disorders
    • Aortic insufficiency
    • Aortic stenosis
    • Aortic valve replacement
    • Aortic valve repair
    • Aortic valvuloplasty
  • Mitral valve disorders
    • Mitral valve prolapse
    • Mitral regurgitation
    • Mitral stenosis
    • Mitral valve replacement
    • Mitral valve repair
    • Mitral valvuloplasty
  • Pulmonic valve disorders
  • Tricuspid valve disorders
• Cardiac electrophysiology (Disorders of the electrical system of the heart)
  • Cardiac arrhythmias
  • Bigemini
  • Premature ventricular contraction
  • Ventricular tachycardia
  • Ventricular fibrillation
  • Heart block
    • First degree heart block
    • Second degree heart block
    • Third degree heart block
  • Specific diseases of the electrical system of the heart
    • Brugada syndrome
    • Long QT syndrome
    • Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW syndrome)
• Congenital heart disease
  • Atrial septal defect
    • Ostium primum atrial septal defect
    • Patent foramen ovale
    • Ostium secundum atrial septal defect
  • Ventricular septal defect
  • Patent ductus arteriosus
  • Bicuspid aortic valve
  • Tetralogy of fallot
• Inflammation and infection of the heart
  • Endocarditis
    • Rheumatic heart disease
  • Myocarditis
  • Pericarditis
• Diagnostic tests and procedures
  • Echocardiogram
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
  • Electrophysiologic study
    • Programmed electrical stimulation
  • Sphygmomanometer (Blood pressure cuff)
• Devices used in cardiology
  • Devices used to maintain normal electrical rythmn
    • Pacemaker (also see Cardiac pacing)
    • Defibrillator
      • Automated external defibrillator
      • Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
  • Devices used to maintain blood pressure
    • Artificial heart
    • Heart-lung machine
    • Intra-aortic balloon pump
    • Ventricular assist device
• Procedures done for coronary artery disease
  • Angioplasty
  • Coronary artery bypass surgery