How Does a Cardiologist Work with a Cardiac Surgeon
Dr. Heip Nguyen shares how a cardiologist works in collaboration with a cardiac surgeon to treat common heart health issues.
Featuring:
Heip Nguyen, MD
Heip Nguyen, MD is a Cardiac Surgeon at Florida Heart and Lung. Transcription:
Bill Klaproth (Host): When it comes to heart health, collaboration between the cardiologist and the cardiothoracic surgeon, or the cardiac surgeon, is the new model of care. So how do cardiologists and cardiac surgeons work together? Let’s find out with Dr. Heip Nguyen, a cardiac surgeon at Florida Heart and Lung Institute of Osceola. This is Helmet of Health, a podcast from Osceola Regional Medical Center. I'm Bill Klaproth. So Dr. Nguyen, when does a person see a cardiologist and when would they see a cardiac surgeon?
Heip Nguyen, MD (Guest): As you know, they routinely in the past, the flow of the patient is from the primary care and then they sought out the problem. When they get to the heart, then they get to see the cardiologist. When the cardiologist sought it out, whether it’s medical treatment or surgical treatment, then that gets then to the cardiac surgeon for surgical option of the heart disease. As I see with evolvement in medicine that the patient getting more sophisticated, the flow of the information on the internet and TV and radio. I think the patient with the preexisting conditions, a lot of them start to come straight to the surgeon for surgical options. The majority of the time, the patients get sent to the cardiologist from the primary care doctor for specific cardiac problems. Then that gets sorted out and sent to the cardiac surgeon if needed.
Host: Right. So the traditional path then is primary care physician to the cardiologist then to the cardiac surgeon, but you said people are getting more sophisticated. That traditional path is kind of getting upended a little bit. So can you tell us then how cardiologists and cardiac surgeons work together to treat common heart health issues?
Dr. Nguyen: Yeah. Because of the new pathway, the patient may end up with the surgeon first or the cardiac surgeon and the cardiologist. I think to work together, what we call it the hot team approach where a lot of the medical centers start having them is that they have onsite a group of cardiologist and cardiac surgeons. So the patient gets sent to one place and they get their problems sorted out quickly. I think it’s a better thing for the patient that way.
Host: Yeah. So I agree with you there. As you just said, it’s a better way for the patient. So what is the main benefit then to the patient with this cross collaboration between the cardiologist and the cardiac surgeon?
Dr. Nguyen: A lot of problems with the heart is that the timing. The patients with the problems… As you can see from traditional flow, the primary care through the cardiologist through cardiac surgeon, the problem can be dragged on for months before they get treated or they get diagnosed. Here with the collaboration, the patient can just come in and bypass all of the traditional pathway and essentially get the problems solved very quick and treatment done very quick.
Host: Well that’s really, really important. So it eliminates the time involved and helps the person get diagnosed and treated really quick. Plus, you’ve got more minds looking at the situation instead of just one person at a time. So let me ask you this. When it comes to prevention and then management of heart disease, who does that? Is that the cardiologist or the cardiac surgeon or both? How does that work now when it comes to prevention and ongoing management?
Dr. Nguyen: Well, the main [inaudible] right now is the collaboration work. From diagnose to treatment to follow up. So you get both of us, the cardiologist and the cardiac surgeons that are looking into the patients and preventive care and follow up and all of that. So it’s not just one person. It’s both from the beginning to the end.
Host: That is what’s best for the patient. Dr. Nguyen, thank you for your time. For more information and to get hooked up with Dr. Nguyen or another one of our providers, please visit osceolaheartandlung.com. If you’ve found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.
Bill Klaproth (Host): When it comes to heart health, collaboration between the cardiologist and the cardiothoracic surgeon, or the cardiac surgeon, is the new model of care. So how do cardiologists and cardiac surgeons work together? Let’s find out with Dr. Heip Nguyen, a cardiac surgeon at Florida Heart and Lung Institute of Osceola. This is Helmet of Health, a podcast from Osceola Regional Medical Center. I'm Bill Klaproth. So Dr. Nguyen, when does a person see a cardiologist and when would they see a cardiac surgeon?
Heip Nguyen, MD (Guest): As you know, they routinely in the past, the flow of the patient is from the primary care and then they sought out the problem. When they get to the heart, then they get to see the cardiologist. When the cardiologist sought it out, whether it’s medical treatment or surgical treatment, then that gets then to the cardiac surgeon for surgical option of the heart disease. As I see with evolvement in medicine that the patient getting more sophisticated, the flow of the information on the internet and TV and radio. I think the patient with the preexisting conditions, a lot of them start to come straight to the surgeon for surgical options. The majority of the time, the patients get sent to the cardiologist from the primary care doctor for specific cardiac problems. Then that gets sorted out and sent to the cardiac surgeon if needed.
Host: Right. So the traditional path then is primary care physician to the cardiologist then to the cardiac surgeon, but you said people are getting more sophisticated. That traditional path is kind of getting upended a little bit. So can you tell us then how cardiologists and cardiac surgeons work together to treat common heart health issues?
Dr. Nguyen: Yeah. Because of the new pathway, the patient may end up with the surgeon first or the cardiac surgeon and the cardiologist. I think to work together, what we call it the hot team approach where a lot of the medical centers start having them is that they have onsite a group of cardiologist and cardiac surgeons. So the patient gets sent to one place and they get their problems sorted out quickly. I think it’s a better thing for the patient that way.
Host: Yeah. So I agree with you there. As you just said, it’s a better way for the patient. So what is the main benefit then to the patient with this cross collaboration between the cardiologist and the cardiac surgeon?
Dr. Nguyen: A lot of problems with the heart is that the timing. The patients with the problems… As you can see from traditional flow, the primary care through the cardiologist through cardiac surgeon, the problem can be dragged on for months before they get treated or they get diagnosed. Here with the collaboration, the patient can just come in and bypass all of the traditional pathway and essentially get the problems solved very quick and treatment done very quick.
Host: Well that’s really, really important. So it eliminates the time involved and helps the person get diagnosed and treated really quick. Plus, you’ve got more minds looking at the situation instead of just one person at a time. So let me ask you this. When it comes to prevention and then management of heart disease, who does that? Is that the cardiologist or the cardiac surgeon or both? How does that work now when it comes to prevention and ongoing management?
Dr. Nguyen: Well, the main [inaudible] right now is the collaboration work. From diagnose to treatment to follow up. So you get both of us, the cardiologist and the cardiac surgeons that are looking into the patients and preventive care and follow up and all of that. So it’s not just one person. It’s both from the beginning to the end.
Host: That is what’s best for the patient. Dr. Nguyen, thank you for your time. For more information and to get hooked up with Dr. Nguyen or another one of our providers, please visit osceolaheartandlung.com. If you’ve found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and be sure to check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you. I'm Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.