When does someone need a cardiologist?
At the Heart of the Matter
We’ve all heard the stories. The fit, 46-year-old father who suddenly has a heart attack on the basketball court. The friend who discovers that reason she’s always out of breath has to do with her heart, not her allergies. The aunt whose rheumatoid arthritis also caused blockage in her arteries.
It’s certainly enough to make you think: should I being seeing a cardiologist?
That question is a good place to start. In fact, it’s a great question to ask your internist, says Robert Fishberg, MD, FACC, a cardiologist at Associates in Cardiovascular Disease (AICD) who is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and nuclear cardiology. “Not everyone needs to see a cardiologist,” says Dr. Fishberg, “but the best way to find out if you’re someone who should is to visit your primary care physician and follow their recommendations.”
“Obviously,” he goes on to say, “if you have had heart issues in the past, have chest pain, or hypertension [high blood pressure], seeing a cardiologist would be indicated. If you are over 40, with hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes, an appointment with a cardiologist is advisable, especially if you have a family history of heart disease or have parents who experienced heart attacks under the age of 60. Your internist will be able to run tests that give you the information you need to determine your next steps.”
Other warning signs, he says, are vascular problems, because these don’t generally live in isolation. Chest pain, heavy breathing, or passing out with exertion are strong indicators that a cardiac problem exists. Chronic inflammation, like that associated with rheumatoid arthritis, can also be related. And lifestyle – the amount you exercise, what you eat, whether you smoke – is a big factor.
When you’re looking for a good cardiologist, you can start by asking for recommendations from local friends or family. It’s important to find a cardiologist who is convenient for you; in addition, one who is in your network of doctors has the advantage of being able to access health records more easily. You can also ask your insurance companies about recommended providers. The information you receive from these various sources can be compared with any research you’ve done over the internet.
Dr. Fishberg advises that another thing to consider is whether the cardiologist is in a solo or group practice. “With a group practice like AICD, you get the benefit of professionals with slightly different perspectives and areas of expertise being able to weigh in on a patient’s health and treatment. That kind of collaboration is extremely beneficial for the patient.”
AICD also meets the other qualifications, he says with a smile. “We have multiple locations throughout northern and central New Jersey, so we’re convenient for our patients. Plus, we are part of the Atlantic Health System, which enables a straightforward way to collaborate with our patients’ primary care physicians as well as safe and secure access to their health records.”
It’s also important to know how up to date a cardiology practice is. There are so many new therapies and medications around, so many new surgery options, that seeing a doctor in a practice that keeps on top of these evolving methodologies is critical. “There are statins and calcium channel blockers and new agents such as injectables to lower cholesterol, to lower the risk of heart problems. There are new therapies for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries from a buildup of plaque) available that can mean we don’t need to do open surgery. There’s transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally-invasive treatment for heart valve issues. Plus, the new diagnostic tools available now can help determine whether a problem would best be helped medically or surgically,” says Dr. Fishberg.
“At AICD,” he continues, “all of these choices are available to us, because we stay current with the latest research. It’s an imperative for us, because we want to make sure we have all the best resources and practices at hand to treat our patients. That’s because we emphasize the patient first. We don’t treat the “heart,” we treat the person. And we know that every person is different. We take our patient-doctor relationships seriously – the high reviews we get for kindness and care reflect our priorities. We collaborate with each other, with the patient and their family, and with the patient’s primary care physician to determine the right course of treatment.”
For more information about Dr. Robert Fishberg and the cardiology practice at AICD, visit aicdheart.com or call 973.467.0005 for an appointment.
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