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Heart Disease: Greatest National Health Challenge

Statistically, heart disease is the number one enemy and killer of both men and women in the United States. Yet, most coronary artery disease is preventable. One specific aid in this prevention struggle is the heart scans combined with heart screening by health care professionals in a broad range of specialties. Heart scans and screening utilize an ever-increasing array of technological devices, keyed to both prevention and treatment. These heart scans provide physicians and cardiologists extensive resources as never before imagined or made available to them and their patients.

Following the physician’s examination and medical history documentation patients are given an electrocardiogram to identify coronary heart disease. The most common is atheroscierosis of the coronary arteries. This occurs when the arteries become blocked or clogged restricting the flow of blood to the heart. This deprives the heart of oxygen and the required nutrients for staying healthy.

Heart disease is often caused by the narrowing and blockage of the heart vessels and arteries by plaque. This substance is a combination of fat and other body chemicals that cling to the walls of the arteries. This process is compounded as blood clots start to cling to the plaque. As the blood flow is obstructed a series of symptoms begin to occur. These include weakness and dizziness; elevated heart beat; shortness of breath; and irregular heartbeat. These symptoms, or indicators, may signal that a heart attack is immanent.

Diagnosing heart disease is a specialized process but now heart scaning methods are available for diagnosing disease and helping to determine procedures to be employed by the attending physician. Electron Beam Tomography is at present state-of-the-art technology for heart disease scans. These heart scans are conducted for early detection of asymptomatic coronary artery disease. Electron Beam Angiography is the scanning method used for known coronary artery disease and to check on conditions following previous heart bypass surgery.

The EBT scan for heart diseases is among the most accurate of testing methods and surely one of the fastest. A simple one-minute scan can reveal heart and health problems that can save a patient’s life. A cardiac “score” can be conducted in less than two minutes and in all, with a physician review, the patient can be out of the scan center in less than 30-minutes with a full appraisal of the hearts condition.

Computed tomography (CT) employs x-rays with amount of exposure held to absolute minimums. Scans for artheroscierosis are non-intrusive and although x-ray is used radiation is carefully gauged. Usually an electrocardiograph monitors the hearts activities during the test. In the standard high-speed CT scan, the patient on an examining table, moves through the scanner and multiple images in time with the heartbeat are taken. A computer program aids the radiologist in analyzing the images for calcification. Results are available in only a few minutes after the procedure.