Cardiology is the treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. A cardiologist is a physician who specializes in treating heart conditions such as abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, coronary artery disease, congenital heart defects, and disease of the heart valves. A cardiologist can inform your doctor about new drugs or tests that may be beneficial to you.

Some heart conditions can cause permanent damage to the heart muscle, and can be fatal. Methods that cardiologists use to study heart conditions include stress tests, a monitor to record your heart rate and rhythm, a biopsy, which studies a tiny piece of heart tissue, and an echocardiogram, which uses sound waves to show a picture of how your heart works.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Blood Clot, Peripheral Vascular Disease, angioplasty, Hypertension, Heart Attack, Congestive heart failure, Angina, Atherosclerosis, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary heart disease, Pericarditis, Ventricular Tachycardia, Acute Coronary Syndrome, Cardiac Arrest, Bigeminy, Heart block, Myxoma, Cardiac Arrhythmias, Tricuspid valve disorders, and Aortic valve disorders.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Gastric Bypass Surgery, Open Heart Surgery, Valve Replacement, Valve Repair, Bypass Surgery, Carotid Artery Surgery, Catheter Ablation, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cardiac Bypass Surgery, Cardiovascular Surgery, Laser Angioplasty, Valvuloplasty, Balloon Angioplasty, Atherectomy, Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, Coronary Angioplasty, Heart Transplantation, and Carotid Surgery.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), Cardiac Stress Test, Holter Monitor, Echocardiogram, Blood Test, Sphygmomanometer, Cardiac Enzymes, IVUS, Electrophysiologic study, and Coronary Catheterization.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. California has 2,665 practicing cardiologists. Broken out by city, cardiology doctor density in Alhambra is 17, in Anaheim is 45, in Antioch is 7, in Arcadia is 28, in Arroyo Grande is 12, in Bakersfield is 34, in Berkeley is 16, in Beverly Hills is 53, in Brentwood is 18, in Burbank is 22, in Burlingame is 16, in Chico is 13, in Chula Vista is 23, in Concord is 13, in Coronado is 8, in Costa Mesa is 20, in Culver City is 10, in Daly City is 19, in Delano is 7, in Downey is 28, in Encinitas is 22, in Escondido is 13, in Fairfield is 14, in Folsom is 20, in Foster City is 8, in Fountain Valley is 27, in Fremont is 27, in Fresno is 45, in Fullerton is 19, in Gilroy is 6, in Glendale is 55, in Hayward is 19, in Hemet is 11, in Huntington Beach is 10, in Inglewood is 24, in Irvine is 18, in Jackson is 17, in La Mesa is 25, in Lafayette is 12, in Laguna Beach is 8, in Laguna Hills is 32, in Lancaster is 13, in Larkspur is 14, in Lodi is 16, in Loma Linda is 38, in Long Beach is 58, in Los Alamitos is 15, in Los Angeles is 333, in Los Gatos is 15, in Mill Valley is 11, in Mission Viejo is 17, in Modesto is 37, in Monterey is 7, in Morgan Hill is 4, in Mountain View is 23, in Murrieta is 23, in Napa is 9, in Newport Beach is 31, in Oakland is 41, in Oceanside is 5, in Orange is 58, in Oxnard is 25, in Palm Springs is 20, in Palo Alto is 58, in Pasadena is 35, in Placerville is 27, in Pomona is 11, in Rancho Mirage is 24, in Redding is 16, in Redondo Beach is 11, in Redwood City is 21, in Riverside is 34, in Roseville is 16, in Sacramento is 116, in Salinas is 16, in San Bernardino is 24, in San Diego is 144, in San Francisco is 166, in San Jose is 80, in San Luis Obispo is 17, in San Mateo is 16, in San Ramon is 14, in Santa Ana is 35, in Santa Barbara is 23, in Santa Cruz is 9, in Santa Monica is 41, in Santa Rosa is 36, in Simi Valley is 11, in Stockton is 34, in Thousand Oaks is 26, in Torrance is 61, in Upland is 19, in Vallejo is 14, in Victorville is 14, in Visalia is 12, in Walnut Creek is 41, in West Covina is 11, in West Hollywood is 11, in Whittier is 12, and in Yuba City is 9.

California’s population is 36,142,137, and it is America’s third largest and most populous state. It also claims the highest and lowest altitudes in the lower 48 states. The lowest point in the country, Death Valley, is also home to the nation’s highest recorded temperature, 134 degrees. Tourists flock to this state for its many outdoor activities and attractions, including Universal Studios, Disneyland, Rodeo Drive shopping, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, wine country tours, and California’s numerous beaches and parks. Los Angeles is the nation’s second largest city, but California’s capital is Sacramento. The giant sequoias in California’s forests are among the oldest living things in the world, and a redwood in the Redwood National Park is said to be the world’s tallest tree, at 365 feet. California achieved statehood in 1850, and was named the Golden State after the beginning of the Gold Rush in 1848.

According to 2005 Census estimates, California has a population of 36,132,147. Of this population, 9,308,563 are under the age of 18 and 3,827,038 are at or above the age of 65.