Heart Disease
Each year, 1.2 million Americans suffer heart attacks. Cardiovascular disease and stroke continue to be the nation’s top killers, claiming 870,000 lives each year. Everyone is encouraged to learn more about heart disease and how to prevent it.
The most effective treatment for heart disease is prevention. The earlier heart disease can be detected the sooner you can begin modifying your risk factors. Approximately 75% of American adults already show traces of dangerous fat in their arteries that contribute to cardiac arrest. To protect yourself from heart disease follow these guidelines:
- Maintain a healthy and balanced diet.- Exercise regularly.
- Avoid preventable risk factors such as stress, smoking and high blood pressure.
- Get regular check-ups.
Education
Learn the warning signs. Typically, the earliest symptoms of coronary artery disease are chest pain and shortness of breath with exertion. Other symptoms of coronary artery disease include a fast heartbeat, weakness, dizziness, nausea, and increased perspiration. Heart attack symptoms in men and women often differ. Men usually have the typical type of chest pain that comes with exertion and decreases with rest. Women, older adults, and people with diabetes may have symptoms such as breathlessness, heartburn, nausea, or fatigue; they do not always have chest pain.
Cardiac Imaging Services at Atlantic Medical Imaging
Below is a list of the Cardiac Imaging services available at Atlantic Medical Imaging. Your healthcare provider will determine which imaging test is best suited for your particular condition.
Coronary CT Angiography (CCTA)
Atlantic Medical Imaging — Leaders in Coronary CT Angiography
Unlike the heart scan, Coronary CTA detects calcified and perhaps more importantly non-calcified (soft or vulnerable) plaques. It is these soft plaques, invisible to the heart scan, that are more likely the cause of heart attacks and sudden death. Articles in the cardiology journal, Circulation, indicate that coronary CTA is 95% sensitive for detecting a 50% stenosis (blockage) of the coronary arteries far exceeding the 70% sensitivity typical of stress tests. More importantly, coronary CTA can predict when you are normal with 97% reliability, a number unprecedented in medical imaging. So when coronary CTA says you are normal you can be 97% sure you really are. Atlantic Medical Imaging has the most technologically advanced CT scanners available on the market today. This is backed by the latest in workstation software and one of the world’s largest case experiences with coronary CTA.
In 2007, Atlantic Medical Imaging, in conjunction with GE Healthcare, developed prospectively gated coronary CTA. With this new technique, the radiation dose is dramatically reduced without compromising the image quality. Atlantic Medical Imaging is one of the only facilities in the area which uses this new technique.
Atlantic Medical Imaging has become a world leader in coronary CTA. Dr. David Dowe, Medical Director of AMI’s
Your doctor now has the necessary tool to diagnose coronary artery disease earlier than any other diagnostic technique in the world today. Heart disease affects both men and women. While men are more susceptible at an earlier age, a woman’s risk of having heart disease rises sharply after menopause.
thickness of the chambers of the heart, and determine the extent of damage caused by a heart attack or progressive heart disease. After a heart attack, for example, an MRI examination can help the cardiologist understand how well the heart is pumping, whether the flow of blood is blocked in any chamber or major vessel, whether the heart muscles are damaged, or whether the lining of the heart is swelling. This is critical knowledge needed to administer prompt and effective treatment.