When To See a Pediatric Cardiologist

Pediatric cardiology care is children’s care involving heart and blood vessel conditions. Pediatric cardiologists can diagnose and treat a range of heart diseases and conditions from the child’s fetal period to adulthood, including arrhythmias and congenital heart diseases (CHD).

Still, pediatric cardiologist practice differs from doctors who treat adult heart diseases. They primarily treat issues with the child’s heart’s structure and rhythm. Moreover, the pediatric cardiologist works closely with your child’s pediatrician or any other care provider. However, there is no surgery in a care ER for pediatric cardiology. Instead, this is performed by a child’s heart surgeon.

What Does a Pediatric Cardiologist Do?

Pediatric cardiologists diagnose heart issues in children using specific cardiology tools and imaging tests. First, they scrutinize the heart’s rhythm to determine the problem. Here are a few things the Memorial Heights ER pediatric cardiologists typically do.

• They evaluate the patient’s medical history and gives the family and the child insights regarding the prevention of heart disease and maintaining heart health.
• Performs physical exams, such as blood pressure measurements, vital signs, weight, and heart and lungs health. They also scrutinize blood vessels.
• They order and interpret laboratory tests and prescribe medication regarding imaging tests.
• Pediatric Cardiology Associates of Houston diagnose and treat various disorders distressing the heart and blood vessels. These include CHD and arrhythmia.
• They screen, treat, and watch for disorders like hypertension, obesity, and eminent cholesterol in children that are known to increase the risk of heart disease during adulthood. If they notice complex risks like diabetes, they will refer the child to another specialist like a pediatric endocrinologist.
• Execute procedures like electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart catheterization.
• They also work with your child’s pediatrician or primary care provider to optimize the care.

When to Visit the Cardiologist Emergency Room

Significant heart problems are not very common among children. However, some symptoms cause frets among parents. Here are three reasons you should take your child to an er near you.

• Heart Murmurs

The “lub-dub” sound you hear when you listen to the child’s heart is the chamber valves opening and closing as blood gets pumped. A heart murmur is an extra sound on top of those two valve sounds. A speedy blood flow causes it.

In most cases, a speedy blood flow is expected, so the heart murmur is “innocent” and does not require any intervention. However, some abnormal heart sounds suggest a structural heart defect and may require additional intervention by a cardiologist.
Constant pediatrician evaluation of your child is necessary because it helps them determine if it’s a normal or abnormal turbulent blood flow or if intervention by the cardiologist is necessary.

• Chest Pains and Shivers

When there is a palpitation, and the child complains of chest pains, most parents are afraid the child’s heart is the issue. Nonetheless, these are common in child development. Most chest pains are a result of the stretching of muscle and bone irritation in the chest. Palpitations mostly represent a faster than average child’s heartbeat or some occasional heartbeats from the lower chambers.

They mostly pose no danger to the child’s health, but it doesn’t mean that you should ignore the symptoms. Ensure you check into the pediatric cardiology of Houston office to determine whether your child needs cardiologist services as well as get tests like ECG.

• Syncope

It’s the medical term for passing out. While all children who pass out are not necessarily suffering from a heart problem, you should have every passing-out episode evaluated by a professional. Your pediatrician needs details about the passing out, where and when it occurred, whether they’ve had food all day, an underlying illness or if they felt unwell before passing out.

Mainly, an ECG is ordered for most fainting victims. If there is a family history of fainting, pediatric cardiology care is necessary. You may need to call a cardiologist, too, if while passed out, your child had palpitations or chest pains or if they frequently faint during physical activity.

Pediatric cardiologists are extensively trained and are experts in diagnosing and treating children exhibiting heart problems. Therefore, if your pediatrician refers you to a pediatric cardiologist, you can be sure they will receive the best supposed medical care.