Your Interventional Cardiologist

If your cardiologist recommends that you undergo an angiogram to gather precise information about blockages in your arteries, you will be seen by an interventional cardiologist.  

An interventional cardiologist has one to two years of additional education and training in diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease (CVD) and congenital (present at birth) and structural heart conditions through catheter-based procedures such as angioplasty and stenting. 

Interventional cardiologists rank among the world's foremost authorities on CVD and its treatment. Many interventional cardiologists become Members or Fellows of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). Fellows of SCAI list the credential abbreviation FSCAI after their names. If your interventional cardiologist is a Fellow of SCAI, this is a mark of excellence in the field. Fellows are required to be Board Certified in interventional cardiology or to be out of training for five years and have performed at least 2,000 procedures (fewer for pediatric interventional cardiologists). What this translates into is an assurance that your interventional cardiologist is experienced, is committed to continuing education, and has undergone rigorous evaluation from distinguished peers in the interventional cardiology field. A Master Interventionalist of the Society (MSCAI) is a Fellow of the Society who is recognized by their peers and the society as having demonstrated excellence in the field over a career, manifested by a commitment to the highest levels of clinical care, innovation, publication, teaching, and service to the Society.