Cardiology (from
Greek καρδίᾱ,
kardiā, "heart"; and
-λογία,
-logia) is a specialty dealing with disorders of the
heart and
blood vessels. The field includes diagnosis and treatment of
congenital heart defects,
coronary artery disease,
heart failure,
valvular heart disease and
electrophysiology. Physicians specializing in this field of medicine are called
cardiologists. Cardiologists should not be confused with
cardiac surgeons, cardiothoracic, and cardiovascular who are surgeons who perform cardiac surgery - operative procedures on the heart and great vessels.