A lot.
Here are two examples to help you differentiate between a cardiac surgeon and a cardiologist. I hope this helps solve a very common, epic yet basic question amongst patients we repeatedly see at CIMS Hospital in Ahmedabad.:
Dr. Keyur Parikh – Cardiologist
Dr. Dhiren Shah – Cardiac Surgeon
Cardiologists typically use balloons and stents to open up blockage without opening up the chest through a process called Angioplasty. Patient is typically conscious. The patient can go home and is discharged from the hospital in 1 or 2 days depending on post surgery health stats.
Cardiac Surgeons have minimally invasive techniques nowadays but most cardiac surgeons open up the chest to perform the surgery. Patient is given general anaesthesia. Normal words here are CABG, Bypass, Heart Transplant, Heart Failure, etc etc. Most of the time surgeries that a cardiologist can’t do due to complexity is moved over to the Cardiac Surgeon. Similarly the Cardiac Surgeon who feels the blockage or a patient is not much will transfer the patient over to the cardiologist to deal with either through medicines, or through angioplasty or stents.
I truly hoped this help you understand and differentiate between a cardiac surgeon and a cardiologist! I have repeatedly been asked whether I, Dr. Keyur Parikh am a cardiac surgeon or a cardiologist, to which I laugh and reply I am a cardiologist but have the world’s best team of cardiac surgeons working with me every single day. The patient relaxes immediately. I hope you do too! For more information feel free to email me at keyur.parikh@cims.org