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4 Benefits of Heart Screenings

Cardiac screening is one of the best things you can do for your heart and for your health.

Heart screenings are a type of non-invasive, high speed, low radiation imaging technique that creates detailed images of the heart and blood vessels serving the heart. The technology images high and/or irregular heartbeats often associated with patients with developing or advanced heart disease. Doctors use heart screening to detect signs of premature heart and vascular disease, known together as cardiovascular disease, long before patients develop symptoms.

Top 4 Benefits of Heart Screening

  1. Provides a complete picture of your cardiovascular risk.

    Your doctor assesses your risk of cardiovascular disease by assessing your risk factors by ordering blood tests, such as cholesterol screening, performing an examination, and reviewing your personal and family history. Heart screening gives your doctor more information to calculate your risk of heart disease. In fact, heart screenings with EBCT heart scans are up to 10 times more accurate than the use of traditional risk factors.

    Heart screenings are especially beneficial for people with certain risk factors. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking are the key risk factors for heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), and nearly half of all Americans have at least one of those three. Diabetes, overweight and obesity, poor diet, inactivity, and excessive alcohol intake are also risk factors.

  2. Identifies problems.

    Heart screenings can help identify specific problems early, when most conditions are easier to treat. These screenings can detect the presence of plaque in the arteries that bring blood to the heart, for example, which can lead to heart attacks.

  3. Helps you beat the odds.

    Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and it is a major cause of disabilities.About 47 percent of heart attacks occur outside of hospitals, which suggest that many people do not act early on warning signs. Heart screening alerts you to signs of premature, pre-symptomatic cardiovascular disease so you can take action early, before you have a heart attack or develop another type of heart disease.

  4. Gives peace of mind.

    Heart screening provides reassurance that you are on the right path to a healthy heart or encouragement to take stronger actions.

For more information on the benefits of heart screenings, talk with your doctor or health care professional. Set up an appointment with Virtual Imaging today!