ACS Q&A – Dr. Smith: What is an Interventional Cardiologist?

An interventional cardiologist is a cardiologist whose training and practice include treating heart conditions through minimally invasive procedures. While cardiology is primarily a diagnostic specialty, all cardiologists begin their training in internal medicine before specializing in cardiology.

Those of us who go on to specialize in interventional cardiology do more than prescribe medications to improve heart health. We also perform procedures to treat heart conditions mechanically, such as opening a blocked blood vessel with a balloon or placing a stent to improve blood flow to the heart. We may also perform other minimally invasive procedures to improve heart function.

Interventional cardiologists are not surgeons, and they do not perform open surgical procedures. Instead, the procedures are performed using catheters (small tubes inserted into the body). These catheters are most commonly placed through an artery in the groin and guided to the heart to treat abnormalities.