Cardiologist or cardiac surgeon in Tangier: who should you see, and when?

It is one of the questions that comes up most often on the practice's phone: Do you need to consult a cardiologist or a cardiac surgeon? ? Both look after the heart, both titles sound alike, and yet they come in at different points on your path. Knowing who does what saves you weeks, and saves you worrying for nothing.

In short, the cardiologist makes the diagnosis, prescribes treatment and follows you over time. The cardiovascular surgeon steps in when an operation offers more than medication or a stent. In the vast majority of cases, you see the cardiologist first, and many patients never meet the surgeon.

The cardiologist: the doctor who diagnoses and follows

The cardiologist is the specialist in diagnosing and medically treating disease of the heart and vessels. This is who you see first, on your GP's advice or directly, for breathlessness, chest pain, blood pressure that will not settle, palpitations, or simply a prevention check-up.

In concrete terms, he directed and performed:

• the Consultation and Clinical Examination, which already give much guidance ;
• theelectrocardiogram, theechocardiography andecho-doppler ships;
• thestress test and Holter 24 hours, for heart rhythm as for blood pressure;
• the coronarography when he is practising in interventional cardiology, and the laying of stents ;
• on drug treatment and its adjustment over time.

The cardiologist is following you for years, and he's the doctor of the duration.

An irregular pulse, palpitations or a smartwatch alert are first a matter for the cardiologist: the electrocardiogram remains the test that settles the question.

Read also: normal or irregular heart rhythm, when to see a doctor

The Cardiovascular Surgeon: The Doctor Who Works

The cardiovascular surgeon steps in when the disease can no longer be corrected with medication or by a procedure done through the arteries. His field:

• on Coronary bypass, when several arteries of the heart are clogged ;
• surgery valves, repair or replacement;
• surgery of theaorta, including aneurysms;
• surgery carotidian, to prevent stroke;
• Technical Minimally invasive, which avoid opening the sternum when the anatomy allows.

He never operates without a diagnosis already made. His role begins where the cardiologist reaches the limit of what can be done.

Read also: aortic stenosis, when is surgery needed

The table that summarizes the difference

The real journey, step by step

In the vast majority of cases, the following are the cases:

• 1. A symptom appears, or a balance sheet reveals an anomaly.
• 2. The treating physician or cardiologist performs the first tests.
• 3. Depending on the results, three outcomes are possible: single medication treatment, a procedure through the arteries such as stent placement, or surgery.
• 4. If surgery is on the cards, the cardiologist refers you to the surgeon, with your file.
• 5. The surgical consultation pins down the indication, the technique, the benefits and the risks. Nothing is decided without you.

Almost nobody sees a heart surgeon as their first port of call, and that is perfectly normal.

For complex situations, especially when bypass and stents are both possible, the 2024 European guidelines call for discussion by a “Heart Team”: a team that brings together the interventional cardiologist, the cardiac surgeon and the cardiologist who follows you. This shared decision protects patients from choices made out of habit.

Read also: after a coronary angiogram, stent or bypass

Situations where a surgeon is directly consulted

There are, however, cases where a surgical consultation makes sense from the outset:

• a Operational indication already applied elsewhere, and you would like a second opinion;
• one aorta aneurysm discovered by chance on a scanner or ultrasound;
• a tight carotid stenosis spotted on an echo-doppler;
• a valve already known whose symptoms worsen;
• a file put together in another city that you would like followed up in Tangier.

Read also: aortic aneurysm, understanding and screening

Consulting in Tangier: how the first appointment goes

At Dr Tber's practice, the consultation lasts 30 to 45 minutes. It starts with your symptoms, your medical history and your risk factors, continues with an examination of the heart and arteries, then a review of your test results. You leave with a clear plan, whether treatment, monitoring, further tests or an operation, and a written report for your family doctor.

The average wait for an appointment is about 48 hours. If you have chest pain that lasts, sudden breathlessness or feel faint, do not book an appointment: call 141 (SAMU) or 15 (Civil Protection).

Cardiology consultation in Tangier: heart check-up, review of your tests and a second opinion

A journey that began with cardiology

Dr Tber trained in cardiology first, before devoting himself to cardiovascular surgery. For you that changes three concrete things: your file is read both by the doctor who follows patients and by the doctor who operates on them, the reasoning is explained to you rather than handed down, and no operation is proposed where medical treatment will do.

What to do in consultation

For the appointment to really serve, prepare:

• on Records your exams, even old ones;
• on CD or USB flash drive from the coronary angiogram or the CT scan, because the images count for more than the report;
• last echocardiography report ;
• your Orders in progress, with exact doses;
• your blood test recent and your health insurance card.

You don't know who you're looking at? Dr Tber's practice in Tangier gives you a straight answer, and points you to the right person even when that person is not him. Book an appointment or contact us.

Frequently asked questions