A pediatrician is a person who deals with medical treatments for infants and children to the level of adolescence. Cardiology is that branch of medical science that detects problems and abnormalities of the organ that pumps blood and allows us to live- our heart. When you combine them both together, it results in pediatric cardiology. A pediatric cardiologist is that doctor who helps in treating cardiac problems of children right from the time they’re born. Technology in India has grown by leaps and bounds and a new born child with a defected heart can be detected and treated easily. Not just that, even a fetus can be treated as well. Whenever a pediatrician suspects anything awry with a child beyond his jurisdiction, he can call upon the help of a pediatric cardiologist.
Symptoms of a child with cardiac problems:
A child may be feeling reduced hunger, chest pain, and loss of skin color-leading to a greyish pale skin, heart murmurs, fast breathing, palpitations, swelling and pain in different parts of the body like eyes and legs. Feeling feverish and dizzy almost simultaneously is another symptom that should be looked into. It is the duty of the pediatric cardiologist to ensure that the child gets the best amenities and treatment for his secure future.
Professional services:
The pediatric cardiologists in India are trained very effectively and with good measure to perform difficult tasks under pressure so that they shine through when it comes to operating on a child in the operation theatre. Procedures such as echocardiograms, electrocardiograms and exercise tests are carried out on a regular basis. Usually immediate operation is not suggested but if it is of dire requirement, the surgeon advises upon it. When a surgery needs to be performed, usually the pediatric surgeon and the pediatric cardiologist work hand in hand. This usually happens when the matter is serious. In some very grave situations, a cardiac catheterization is performed to detect the source of the problem. In this case a long thin tube is inserted into the chamber of the heart through a vein or artery. These doctors mostly treat disturbances of circulatory function, arrhythmias and congenital heart disease. Everyone in the sector indulges in a good amount of research. This includes young and old doctors, medical students, nurses, paramedical staff and GPs.
Hear it from them
Pediatric cardiology consultants say that the job may not seem as easy as it looks from the outside. To operate on a child with problems is very sad. No child should ever be taken away from the happy gay and carefree life that they are supposed to be living. It involves regular consolation for parents that need to be reassured that their child will make it through. It involves hospital visits, medical rounds and a considerable time being spend in the theatre where the surgeries take place. They make sure that the family is well aware of the procedures, the actuality of the disease and how long it will continue for. The risks and the benefits are also explained to them till there is no shadow of doubt left.
However in India, Pediatric Cardiology is a new concept. It has branched out of adult cardiology as a subset with great infrastructure supporting it- like labs to deal with cardiac catheterization and echocardiography. Earlier it was considered very expensive to create another off-shoot of cardiology but now that it’s taken shape, its benefits can be seen. Awareness is being spread about it, more hospitals have come up and costs are getting reduced to provide world class treatment for these children.
