CardioScan

A CardioScan is a quick, easy imaging technique that allows early detection of heart disease. It is a special type of CT scan that detects the calcified plaque in the coronary arteries. Calcified plaque in the arteries identifies the presence of coronary artery disease, commonly referred to as "hardening of the arteries." As more plaque builds up, arteries get narrower and the risk of a heart attack increases. However, early identification of plaque build-up allows you and your doctor to treat modifiable risk factors and also determine if any additional testing is required to help prevent a heart attack from occurring.
The exam itself takes about five minutes. There are no needles, no prep, no pain and a physician referral is not necessary. Three ECG leads placed on the chest and you will lay back with your arms above your head. The table will be moved into the proper scanning position and the machine will give you breathing instructions. You will need to hold your breath for 15 to 20 seconds two or three times during the scan. The scanner is not confining and patients usually do not feel claustrophobic. CardioScan is interpreted by Saint Luke’s Cardiovascular Consultants cardiologists. Immediately following the scan either a Registered Nurse or Exercise Physiologist will explain the results, counsel you on risk factor modification and answer questions that you may have about the test results. Results can be sent to your doctor.
CardioScan is currently priced at $50 at St. Luke’s Health System in Kansas City. It is not usually covered by health insurance. There is a small amount of radiation exposure involved with a CardioScan of around 1 mSv which is just above what you are exposed to on an annual basis from the environment, typically around 0.6 mSv. To schedule an appointment for a CardioScan, call 816-931-1883 or 816-751-8650.
General Health Clinic encourages you to get a CardioScan, especially if you have a family history of cardiovascular disease, and discuss the results with your healthcare provider. The Clinic welcomes most major insurances along with Medicare and Medicaid. Payments by cash, credit cards, and debit cards are accepted. The clinic is located at the junction of highways 148 and JJ in Hopkins, Missouri. The office will be open Saturday, June 18. Appointments can be made by calling 660-778-3209. General Health now offers Botox and Dermal Fillers.
Source: https://www.saintlukeshealthsystem.org/service/cardioscan

Congestive Heart Failure

The American Heart Association joins the world in mourning the loss of film legend Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away this morning at age 79. The following contains more information about congestive heart failure.

Heart Failure

Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to support other organs. Heart failure is a serious condition, but it does not mean that the heart has stopped beating. Heart failure is called congestive heart failure when fluid accumulates in various parts of the body.

More than 5 million Americans are living with heart failure today. Heart failure was a contributing cause of 282,754 deaths in the US in 2006 (latest statistics available).

What can happen?

• Heart does not pump enough blood.
• Blood backs up in veins.
• Fluid builds up, causing swelling in feet, ankles and legs. This is called “edema.”
• Body holds too much fluid.
• Fluid builds up in lungs, called “pulmonary congestion.”
• Body does not get enough blood, food and oxygen.

What are the signs?

• Shortness of breath, especially when lying down
• Tired, run-down feeling
• Coughing or wheezing, especially when you exercise or lie down
• Swelling in feet, ankles and legs
• Weight gain from fluid buildup
• Confusion or can’t think clearly

What are the causes?

• Clogged arteries don’t let enough blood flow to the heart.
• Past heart attack has done some damage to the heart muscle.
• Heart defects present since birth.
• High blood pressure.
• Heart valve disease.
• Diseases of the heart muscle.
• Infection of the heart and/or heart valves.
• Abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmias).

How is it treated?

• Your doctor may give you medicine to strengthen your heart and water pills to help your body get rid of excess fluids.
• Your doctor will recommend a low-sodium (salt) diet
• Your may be provided oxygen for use at home.

• Your doctor may recommend certain lifestyle changes.
• Surgery or cardiac devices may be needed, in some cases.

For more information, please visit www.heart.org.

American Heart Month

Cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, are our nation's No. 1 killer. To urge Americans to join the battle against these diseases, since 1963 Congress has required the president to proclaim February "American Heart Month." (Note this is not "Heart Month" or "National Heart Month.") The American Heart Association led initial efforts to develop Annual American Heart Month.

About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which often appears as a heart attack. In 2010, an estimated 785,000 Americans had a new coronary attack, and about 470,000 had a recurrent attack. About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one.

The chance of developing coronary heart disease can be reduced by taking steps to prevent and control factors that put people at greater risk. Additionally, knowing the signs and symptoms of heart attack are crucial to the most positive outcomes after having a heart attack. People who have survived a heart attack can also work to reduce their risk of another heart attack or a stroke in the future.

Other conditions that affect your heart or increase your risk of death or disability include arrhythmia, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease (PAD). High cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and secondhand smoke are also risk factors associated with heart disease.

General Health Clinic encourages you to speak with your health care professional with any coronary concerns. The Clinic welcomes most major insurances along with Medicare and Medicaid. Payments by cash, credit cards, and debit cards are accepted. The clinic is located at the junction of highways 148 and JJ in Hopkins, Missouri.

In celebration of American Heart Month, General Health will have a lab special from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 19. Participants can get their blood sugar, liver function, cholesterol, and thyroid function checked for $40. Those wishing to check their Vitamin D level can add that test for an additional $30. Men can add a prostate cancer blood screening test for $20. Appointments can be made by calling 660-778-3209.

Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HeartMonth/ & http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4441

Opinion: Secondary students should be required to receive CPR training

All secondary school students should be required to be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and receive an overview of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), according to an American Heart Association science advisory.

The advisory, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, calls for state legislatures to mandate that CPR and AED training be required for graduation, and to provide funding and other support to ensure the educational standard is met.

Last school year, 36 states had a law or curriculum standard encouraging CPR training in schools, according to the advisory. School districts have developed various models for providing and paying for the training and equipment, including using volunteer instructors or video-based programs, and drawing support from businesses, foundations, civic organizations and public agencies.

Challenges include finding time in the curriculum to teach the courses and providing and maintaining CPR manikins, which are vital for training. Schools can keep reusable manikins, replacing key parts for sanitary reasons, or can work with a local agency that provides manikins and training. Some schools provide personal training kits that include DVD-based instructions and an inflatable, reusable manikin.

The statement authors report that the benefits far outweigh the costs. “Training of all secondary education students will add a million trained rescuers to the population every few years,” said Mary Fran Hazinski, R.N., M.S.N., co-author of the advisory and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, Tenn. “Those students will be ready, willing and able to act for many years to come, whenever they witness an emergency within the community.”

Students trained as rescuers might help save lives at home, where most sudden cardiac arrests occur. Trained students could also respond to cardiac arrests at school and at public places such as malls, health clubs, or swimming pools, or at events such as family reunions.

Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the United States. The American Heart Association reports that emergency medical personnel respond to nearly 300,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the United States annually, so CPR can help save many of these victims’ lives, the authors said.

Effective CPR circulates a small but vital amount of oxygen-rich blood to the heart and brain, which can help keep a victim alive until an AED is available. The AED can give an electric shock to the heart to stop the abnormal heart rhythm and allow a normal heart rhythm to return. AEDs are portable medical devices that can be used with minimal training and are often available in public places.

“Bystander CPR can double or triple survival from cardiac arrest. Currently, only about 30 percent of victims of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest receive any type of CPR,” Hazinski said.

According to the statement, most untrained bystanders hesitate to help a cardiac arrest victim. Research has shown that when bystanders have CPR training, they are much more likely to take action.

Bystanders who phone 911 and begin CPR provide the first essential links in a strong, interdependent “chain of survival,” Hazinski said. “With activation of 911, early bystander CPR, rapid defibrillation, effective advanced life support and integrated post-resuscitation care, survival rates following sudden cardiac arrest can exceed 50 percent. That’s dramatically higher than the 7 percent to 9 percent average survival rate in the U.S. However, nothing is going to happen unless there’s a bystander who recognizes the arrest, phones 911 and begins CPR to start that chain of survival. Research has shown that any attempt at CPR can improve the odds of survival for someone who has a cardiac arrest,” she said.

CPR training in schools should cover several key areas, including how to recognize an emergency, an emphasis on high-quality chest compressions and skills practice, according to the advisory. At a minimum, AED training should cover the purpose, simplicity and safety of the devices.

“Many schools have overcome barriers to training and begun teaching CPR,” Hazinski said. “But I think a legislative mandate and support for training in schools would go a long way.”

Co-authors are: Diana Cave, R.N., M.S.N.; Tom P. Aufderheide, M.D.; Jeff Beeson, M.D.; Alison Ellison, B.S.N.; Andrew Gregory, M.D.; Loren F. Hiratzka, M.D.; Keith Lurie, M.D.; Laurie J. Morrison, M.D., M.Sc.; Vincent N. Mosesso, Jr., M.D.; Vinay Nadkarni, M.D.; Jerry Potts, Ph.D.; Ricardo A. Samson, M.D.; Michael Sayre, M.D.; and Stephen M. Schexnayder, M.D. Author disclosures and sources of funding are on the manuscript.