Press Release
Identify your risk of heart disease before you have any symptoms
For immediate release, February 4, 2009
Contact
Kyle Bauer, Public Relations Coordinator, 630-993-5702
ELMHURST — According to the American Heart Association, approximately 50 percent of men and 64 percent of women who die suddenly of coronary heart disease had no previous symptoms of heart disease. All too often, the first sign of heart disease is a heart attack.
Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare (EMHC) is now offering a convenient, noninvasive tool to help determine your risk of a heart attack before it's too late. The heart scan uses advanced 64-slice CT technology to reveal the amount of calcium buildup in the arteries, which is an early indicator of heart disease.
Now, for a limited time, heart scan gift cards can be purchased at EMHC for a special price of $99. Click here for more information.
"The heart scan is an effective way to identify the extent of calcified plaque in the coronary arteries," explained Daniel Sullivan, M.D., a cardiologist with Midwest Heart Specialists and member of the Elmhurst Memorial Hospital Medical Staff. "Plaque can build-up on the artery walls and lessen the flow of blood to the heart. This may result in a heart attack."
This build-up of plaque is the underlying cause of the majority of cardiovascular disease events and may be present for decades before the onset of a heart attack. Catching it early means steps can be taken to lower the risk of experiencing a heart attack.
"This test is not absolute in predicting risk for a life-threatening event, such as a heart attack," Dr. Sullivan said. "But we can use the heart scan to evaluate risk for future coronary artery disease or identify people who are at risk who by other measures may not be considered candidates."
For more information on EMHC's heart scan, or to order a gift card at a special price of $99, please call CareMatch at (630) 782-7878.