If your primary care physician suspects a heart condition, they will typically refer you to a cardiologist. A cardiologist specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of heart disease. If your condition requires surgery, the cardiologist may refer you to a cardiac surgeon; however, the cardiologist will remain involved in your care. Within the field of cardiology, there are a number of specialty subgroups including pediatric cardiologists, adult cardiologist, electrophysiologist (rhythm cardiologist) and interventional cardiology. Find a cardiologist or a pediatric cardiologist near you.

Interventional cardiologists focus on diagnosing and treating the problems with the heart’s structure through catheter-based procedures. A catheter is a thin, flexible tube inserted through an artery or vein and guided to the heart. Common conditions treated with cardiac catheterization include angioplasty, valve repair and replacement and balloon valvuloplasty.

Find an interventional cardiologist near you.

Cardiac electrophysiology (EP) is the branch of cardiovascular medicine that focuses on the heart’s electrical activity (often referred to as the heart’s rhythm). In some people, the heart rhythm can go too fast or too slow and cardiac electrophysiologists work to fix this problem. They typically treat the fast heart rhythm problem by ablation and slow heart rhythm by putting in a pacemaker. They also implant defibrillators to prevent sudden death. One of the most common heart rhythm problems is atrial fibrillation (AFib).

Find a cardiac electrophysiologist near you.

Cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgeons specialize in the treatment of heart, chest and blood vessel conditions such as aortic aneurysm, aortic stenosis, mitral valve disease, coronary artery disease and cancers of the esophagus and lung. These surgeons perform a variety of advanced surgical procedures including coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG), aortic aneurysm repair, open-heart surgery to repair and replace valves including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Find a thoracic cardiovascular surgeon near you.

Congenital cardiac surgery is a branch of cardiac surgery specializing in cardiac surgical procedures on infants and children. Pediatric congenital cardiac surgeons are trained to handle all the heart conditions related to congenital (birth) defects of the heart including abnormal heart valves and vessels, holes in the heart, chest trauma and acquired heart defects.

Find a pediatric cardiologist or a congenital cardiac surgeon near you.

BayCare has heart specialists throughout the Tampa Bay area including Tampa, Clearwater, Winter Haven, St. Petersburg, Safety Harbor, Lutz, Riverview, New Port Richey, Bartow, Plant City, and Wesley Chapel.

For more information or a physician referral, call (855) 233-0888 or request a referral to a cardiac specialist near you by filling out the form on this page.