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. Georgia has 701 practicing cardiologists. Broken out by city, cardiology doctor density in Acworth is 1, in Albany is 5, in Alpharetta is 10, in Atlanta is 262, in Austell is 37, in Bainbridge is 4, in Barnesville is 1, in Baxley is 1, in Blairsville is 24, in Blakely is 1, in Blue Ridge is 7, in Bremen is 6, in Brunswick is 8, in Buford is 3, in Calhoun is 7, in Canton is 17, in Carrollton is 8, in Cartersville is 23, in Clarkston is 1, in Claxton is 4, in Cochran is 1, in Commerce is 1, in Conyers is 13, in Covington is 5, in Cumming is 35, in Dahlonega is 3, in Dallas is 5, in Dalton is 7, in Decatur is 37, in Doraville is 1, in Douglas is 1, in Douglasville is 30, in Dublin is 6, in Duluth is 23, in East Ellijay is 1, in East Point is 14, in Eastman is 1, in Eatonton is 4, in Elberton is 8, in Fayetteville is 20, in Forest Park is 2, in Fort Oglethorpe is 3, in Fort Valley is 2, in Gainesville is 31, in Greensboro is 19, in Griffin is 6, in Hartwell is 1, in Hazlehurst is 1, in Hiawassee is 3, in Hinesville is 2, in Jackson is 2, in Jasper is 7, in Kennesaw is 1, in Kingsland is 2, in Lagrange is 5, in Lawrenceville is 27, in Lilburn is 1, in Lithonia is 9, in Locust Grove is 18, in Loganville is 1, in Lovejoy is 2, in Macon is 36, in Marietta is 47, in Metter is 3, in Milledgeville is 5, in Monroe is 3, in Montezuma is 2, in Morrow is 1, in Moultrie is 1, in Newnan is 10, in Norcross is 2, in Peachtree City is 3, in Perry is 3, in Quitman is 1, in Richmond Hill is 1, in Rincon is 1, in Riverdale is 25, in Rome is 15, in Roswell is 17, in Savannah is 36, in Smyrna is 7, in Snellville is 27, in Statesboro is 7, in Stockbridge is 26, in Sugar Hill is 4, in Suwanee is 9, in Swainsboro is 1, in Sylvester is 1, in Thomasville is 5, in Thomson is 2, in Tifton is 3, in Toccoa is 2, in Valdosta is 5, in Vidalia is 5, in Villa Rica is 7, in Warner Robins is 8, in Washington is 2, in Waycross is 5, in Winder is 3, and in Woodstock is 12.

Georgia is rich in history, from its statehood in 1788, to its tobacco plantations, to its civil rights memorials. Atlanta is its vibrant capital city, and it offers a myriad of music, arts, sports and nightlife. While in Atlanta, visit the world’s largest aquarium, the Woodruff Arts Center, or the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Ride the Old Town Trolley in Savannah, and listen to some live jazz and blues at one of Savannah’s many festivals. Georgia’s mountain parks offer hiking, biking, climbing, and other outdoor activities. On Georgia’s coastline, you can go boating, deep sea fishing or kayaking in the Atlantic. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge draws many visitors yearly.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Georgia has a population of 9,072,576. Of this population, 2,319,806 are under the age of 18 and 865,997 are at or above the age of 65.