A cardiologist is a doctor with special training in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of acquired and congenital diseases of the heart and blood vessels. They use medications, lifestyle interventions, and procedures to treat their patients and mitigate risk factors.

The diagnostic methods cardiologists use include coronary angiography, cardiac catheterization, electrocardiography, echocardiography, intravascular ultrasound, Holter monitoring, and exercise stress testing, as well as nuclear, MRI, PET, and CT imaging studies. The procedures they perform range from invasive to non-invasive treatments.

While job titles and roles can vary, there are several recognized cardiology specialties:

1)    General clinical cardiologists are at the “front line” of diagnosing and managing heart disease. They see patients whohave a heart attack or develop symptoms such as chest pain, dizzy spells, orirregular heart rhythms. These cardiologistsare actively involved in the long-term care of patients with heart disease andthey coordinate with other specialists and surgeons where necessary.

2)     Interventional cardiologists specialize in invasive but nonsurgical proceduresinvolving catheterization, stenting, and angioplasty. These procedures includetranscatheter aortic valve replacement, mitral valve replacement, balloondilatation of the mitral valve, percutaneous deviceclosure of a patent foramen ovale (hole in the heart),percutaneous angioplasty on non-coronary vessels such asthe carotid, renal, or femoral arteries, and the insertion of stents into clogged blood vessels (percutaneous coronary intervention).

3)     Electrophysiologists diagnose and treat patients with cardiac arrhythmias. They perform minimally invasive procedures includingcatheter ablation and the implantation ofantiarrhythmic cardiacdevices such as pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators.

4)     Cardiac imaging specialists use advanced imaging technologies to diagnose heart disease. These include echocardiography,imaging stress tests, cardiac MRIor CT scans, and nuclear or PET cardiac studies. They also treat patients with image-guided therapies.

5)     Heart failure specialists implement strategies to delay the progression of heart failure, but where symptoms become too severe, theyadvise patients on treatments such as ventricular assist device implantation or heart transplantation.

6)     Congenital heart specialists manage patients with congenital heart problems,which areheart abnormalities present at birth. Some congenital diseases are diagnosed shortly after birth or in childhood, whileothers, such as a patent foramen ovale, may go undiagnosed until late adulthood.

7)     Cardio-oncologists treat cardiovascular disease in patients with cancer. Several chemotherapy agents and forms of radiation therapy are toxic to the heart, and these specialists help minimize cardiac risk while ensuring the best cancer treatment outcome.

8)     Preventive cardiologists see patients with a history of cardiovascular disease or stroke from a young age or afamily history of such disease or risk factors thereof. These specialists evaluate patients’cardiovascular risk and prescribethe appropriate medications, procedures, and lifestyle interventions needed to mitigate their risk.

9)     Cardiac rehabilitation specialists design and monitor supervised exercise and nutrition programs to help patients return to healthafter a heart attack, heart surgery, interventional procedure, or diagnosis of heart failure.

10)  Cardiac surgeons perform procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, aorta surgery,and valve replacement or repair that cannot be done through a catheter. Cardiac surgeons also repair deformities in the heart and perform heart transplants and open-heart cardiac device implantation such as that of ventricular devices.

11)  Vascular Medicine Specialists specialize in the diagnosis and management of non-coronary vasculardisease, includingcerebrovascular, arterial, aortic,mesenteric, and renal artery disorders; venous thromboembolicdisease; lymphatic disorders;vasculitis; hypercoagulable states; and environmental and occupationalvascular disorders.

12)  CardiologyResearchers are cardiologists who undertake basic, clinical, or population-based researchfocused on thecardiovascular system.

Cardiologists undergo many years of medical training, including four years of medical school, three years of residency in general internal medicine, and three or more years in specialized training. Cardiac surgeons generally complete a four- to five-year residency in general surgery, followed by two to three years of a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship. The subspecialty of heart transplantation requires an additional year of training.

Cardiologists work at private and public hospitals, clinics, the private sector (pharmaceutical and healthcare companies), and universities where their duties include lecturing, research, and patient care.

The job titles of cardiovascular specialists vary and can include General Cardiologist, Preventative Cardiologist, Interventional Cardiologist, Heart Failure and Transplant Cardiologist, Electrophysiologist, Pediatric Cardiologist, and Cardiac Surgeon. There are also medical writers specializing as cardiology content writers and cardiology grant writers for the media, government, business, and academia. 

Cardiologists are highly trained and specialized professionals. To hire a freelance cardiology consultant, the fee generally ranges from 100−200 USD per hour depending on the required skillset and the level of experience necessary.

The hourly fee can be negotiated upfront based on the estimated number of project hours, or a flat fee (for projects of a defined scope) can be discussed. If you need short-term/temporary access tocardiology consultant services, then hiring a freelance consultant on our platform is a convenient and cost-effective way to access this talent pool.

The best way to attract the top Kolabtree freelancers in this field is to make your project description informative. You will need to provide information on the following:

-        Skills required (e.g., expertise in lifestyle interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease)

-        What the project area is (e.g.,preventative cardiology)

-        What the project entails (e.g., advising medical insurers on lifestyle behaviors to incentivize to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in members)

-        What the deliverables are (be specific about what you need the outputs to be)

-        Duration of the project (provide an estimate of how many hours work you will need per week/by when you need the project to be completed)

-        By when you need to hire (having more leeway on this will give you more time to choose the best expert for your needs)

-        Your budget (per hour or fixed fee)

If you are unsure what exactly is required, providing as much detail as possible will allow the experts to still make an informed bid for your project and suggest the best routes forward.

Our platform makes it easier than ever before to connect and collaborate with cardiology specialists who can provide your project with the expertise you need.

Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology   Cardiothoracic Radiology  Cardiovascular Disease  Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology  Congenital Cardiac Surgery  Heart Surgery  Minimally Invasive Procedures  Pediatric Cardiology  Vascular Medicine  Vascular Surgery

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