Technology and the treatment for heart conditions have made giant leaps forward recently, but the heart is complicated and understanding what is now available to which patients can be confusing.
The best way to unravel some of the secrets of the heart is to ask the leading heart experts to explain basic questions such as:
1. Should i see a cardiac surgeon, a cardiologist or an electrophysician?
2. What is the best type of pacemaker?
3. What is catheter ablation?
4. What sort of replacement heart valve should I have?
5. What is TAVI?
As Harefield Hospital Heart expert Dr Mark Mason tells Total Health, "Traditionally, it was easy to view the cardiologist as doing the ‘thinking’ whilst the cardiac surgeon did the ‘operating’! Over the last 20 years these distinctions have become increasingly blurred. Many cardiologists (such as me) now perform a wide range of procedures, though patients might often regard them as ‘keyhole’. We seldom make large incisions and leave this to our surgical colleagues. We perform the coronary stenting and pacemaker and defibrillator implanting."
On finding yourself diagnosed with a heart conditionn, reading what the acknowledged heart experts say is the best way to start answering these questions.
