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. Louisiana has 606 practicing cardiologists. Broken out by city, cardiology doctor density in Abbeville is 3, in Alexandria is 16, in Arnaudville is 1, in Baker is 1, in Bastrop is 2, in Baton Rouge is 132, in Bogalusa is 12, in Bossier City is 19, in Broussard is 1, in Brusly is 1, in Chalmette is 4, in Coushatta is 1, in Covington is 25, in Crowley is 1, in Denham Springs is 7, in Deridder is 4, in Destrehan is 2, in Donaldsonville is 2, in Farmerville is 1, in Franklin is 2, in Franklinton is 8, in Gonzales is 15, in Gretna is 9, in Hammond is 12, in Harvey is 1, in Haynesville is 1, in Homer is 1, in Houma is 20, in Jefferson is 10, in Jena is 1, in Jennings is 3, in Kenner is 22, in La Place is 8, in Lacombe is 10, in Lafayette is 69, in Lake Charles is 13, in Leesville is 2, in Lutcher is 1, in Mandeville is 2, in Marrero is 18, in Metairie is 51, in Minden is 4, in Monroe is 11, in Morgan City is 4, in Natchitoches is 1, in New Iberia is 7, in New Orleans is 245, in Oakdale is 1, in Opelousas is 36, in Plaquemine is 2, in Ponchatoula is 4, in Raceland is 3, in Rayville is 1, in Reserve is 1, in River Ridge is 1, in Ruston is 2, in Shreveport is 48, in Slidell is 23, in Sulphur is 2, in Terrytown is 1, in Thibodaux is 8, in Vidalia is 1, in Ville Platte is 1, in Walker is 8, in West Monroe is 9, in Winnfield is 1, and in Zachary is 4.

Louisiana was named after French King Louis XIV, and the state joined the union in 1812. Louisiana’s population is 4,523,628, and Baton Rouge is its capital city. Louisiana has rich cultural heritage that is celebrated at many festivals all over the state. Taste a variety of cuisines, including Cajun and Creole food. Listen to jazz or zydeco music in New Orleans, visit the French Quarter, attend the Mardi Gras in the spring, or take a steamboat trip down the Mississippi River.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Louisiana has a population of 4,523,628. Of this population, 1,132,763 are under the age of 18 and 528,837 are at or above the age of 65.