Heart specialist Singapore: What you Should Know about Visiting a Heart specialist for the First Time

A heart specialist is a physician who specializes in cardiovascular disease and congenital defects of the heart. Congenital defects of the heart treated at heart clinics like the Cadence Heart Centre are health conditions that you are born with, such as holes in your heart or abnormal valve function.

A person who has just been diagnosed with a cardiac condition should also see a cardiologist. It is important to understand that just about everyone will develop some problems with their hearts during their lives.

Most people first meet with their primary care doctor when they have chest pain, shortness of breath, or other symptoms that might indicate there’s something wrong with the way their heart functions. However, if, after an examination by your PCP, they suspect that there are problems with your heart, you will likely be referred to a cardiologist for further evaluation.

People with symptoms that might indicate something is wrong with their heart, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, arm pain, or fatigue, are advised to see their primary doctors. Depending on your individual condition, they may refer you to a heart specialist in Singapore for further evaluation.

How a Heart Specialist can help you

To begin with, as mentioned earlier in this guide, heart specialists are physicians who specialize in diagnosing and treating problems with the heart’s structure or function. Here are seven ways your heart specialist in Singapore can help:

1. Diagnosing different types of heart disease: These include congenital defects in which a baby is born with abnormal structures and functions of the heart, coronary artery disease, which is when arteries that supply blood to the heart become narrow, and heart rhythm disorders, in which the heartbeat becomes irregular or goes too fast or slow. Others include valvular diseases that involve defective valves between chambers of the heart, congestive heart failure, an accumulation of fluid resulting from poor blood flow out of ventricles (fluid-filled sacs), clogged arteries, and high blood pressure.
2. Perform diagnostic tests such as electrocardiogram (EKG), echocardiogram, stress testing, coronary angiography, cardiac catheterization: These tests can help diagnose different problems with the structure and function of a person’s heart.
3. Treat various cardiac conditions: These include coronary artery disease, heart failure, irregular heartbeat, valvular disease, or congenital defect. Heart specialists treat these conditions by prescribing medications, performing surgery, or inserting devices such as stents into an artery to combat narrowing. They may also recommend lifestyle changes to reduce stress on the heart.
4. Perform non-invasive procedures to monitor one’s condition: A certified cardiologist in Singapore can perform tests that monitor blood pressure in arteries throughout the body (such as carotid duplex scanning). Specialists can also use medical ultrasound, which uses sound waves to create images, echocardiography which uses sound waves to produce moving pictures of the internal structure and function of the heart, and cardiac catheterization which uses x-rays to look at specific blood vessels in various parts of the body. Coronography is another specialized test which may be recommended depending on your condition. It is an imaging test that allows doctors to see how well your coronary arteries are functioning.
5. Perform invasive procedures: Invasive procedures involve inserting a thin tube into a vein or artery with the aid of a local anesthetic. These procedures include angioplasty with stenting, which is when doctors use balloon-tipped tools to open clogged arteries in people’s hearts, mitral balloon valvuloplasty in which doctors perform different types of corrective surgery on abnormal valves inside one’s heart, radiofrequency ablation in which doctors use heat from radio waves to destroy tissue that’s causing irregular heartbeats; and cardiac catheterization.
6. Interpret test results: Cardiologists provide a written interpretation of the tests they perform, which may help you better understand your condition or identify any lifestyle changes they must make to improve their heart health.
7. Prescribe medications: Many different types of medicines are used to treat problems with the structure and function of the heart, such as beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, nitrates, fibrates, and statins. Specialists also prescribe medicines to manage symptoms associated with certain conditions, including diuretics for congestive heart failure patients.

When should you See a Heart Specialist

It’s important to note that there’s no single test that doctors use to diagnose every cardiac condition. However, if you’re experiencing any symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fatigue, then it’s best to see a medical professional for evaluation. If you have been diagnosed with a health condition and want to know more about its treatment, you should also seek out a heart specialist in Singapore.

To determine whether or not someone has an underlying cardiac condition, doctors typically order several diagnostic tests such as blood tests, imaging equipment, and diagnostic procedures. These tools help physicians identify patients who may require treatment for heart disease. [If the heart is diseased (and sometimes if it isn’t)], doctors use ECG (electrocardiogram), ECHO (echocardiogram), stress test [or other kinds of tests] to measure cardiovascular function, coronary angiography [another kind of test] and cardiac catheterization [test].

These procedures can be performed outside of a hospital in a cardiac lab or radiology suite. However, if your case requires surgery, you may need to visit an inpatient facility for treatment.

How much does it cost to see a Heart Specialist

If you’re visiting your doctor for routine checkups, there are usually no additional costs related to seeing an internist or cardiologist. However, if you require any diagnostic tests, the charges could vary depending on the facility where they’re performed.

For instance, an imaging center may charge several hundred dollars, while a hospital could charge thousands of dollars for the same procedure. Fees also depend upon how quickly physicians work and what types of services patients receive.

The Bottom Line

You should see a doctor immediately if you are experiencing symptoms consistent with heart disease. It’s important to remember that cardiologists are cardiac experts but not primary care doctors. If you haven’t been diagnosed with any heart problems, you may only need to see your primary care physician for the evaluation and treatment of cardiovascular issues.

At Cadence Heart Center, we offer a wide range of services to meet your cardiovascular needs. We also evaluate symptoms such as chest pain that may result from cardiac symptoms. So, if you’re experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath or dizziness, then contact Cadence Heart Center for an appointment and more information. Call: (65) 6369 8789.

Cadence Heart Centre (Dr Devinder Singh) | Heart Screening, Heart Check Up
3 Mount Elizabeth, Medical Centre, 14-13, Singapore 228510
+65 6369 8789
https://cadenceheart.sg/