A November 2018 study showed that coronary artery calcium (CAC) screening, an assessment tool that is not currently recommended for people considered at low risk, is a better predictor of blocked coronary arteries at risk for a heart attack and the need for revascularization than standard risk-assessment equations used in medical practice today.
CAC screening provides a direct measure of calcium deposits in heart arteries and is easily obtained on a computed tomography (CT) scan. According to the website Medical Xpress, which published an article regarding the study, Jeffrey L. Anderson, MD, a cardiologist and cardiovascular researcher at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, said “With coronary calcium, we’re looking at a marker indicating the actual presence of anatomic disease – we’re not just looking at probabilities of disease based on a patient’s standard risk factors. The risk factors are worth knowing, but they don’t tell whether or not you actually have the disease.”
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For too many Americans, the first and only sign of heart disease is a fatal heart attack.
Many of these individuals had no warning signs, no symptoms, normal cholesterol levels and were non-smokers. In other words, they had little reason to think there was anything to be concerned about.
Today’s technology allows doctors to determine a person’s risk of heart disease. This means that coronary artery disease can be detected in an early stage when there are no symptoms.
A cardiac calcium scoring exam determines the amount of calcium build-up in the coronary arteries of your heart. The amount of calcium present is related to your risk for a heart attack.
This screening exam is not covered by health insurance or Medicare. However, Capitol Imaging Services has a very affordable fee of $99. A qualified medical provider’s referral order for the exam is required.
A coronary calcium heart scan can provide more information about a patient’s risk of heart disease, when a physical exam and other tests prove inconclusive. You could save your life with a $99 heart scan. Click here to send us a secure email requesting appointment assistance.
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