Heart disease is the leading cause of death in United States, which is why the American Heart Association works everyday to raise awareness and save lives. Coronary artery disease (CAD), a build-up of plaque in the arteries, is the most common form of heart disease and often isn’t evident until you have a heart attack. Casper Medical Imaging, Outpatient Radiology, and Wyoming Imaging Center offer patients various services to help diagnose and treat CAD.
It is recommended that patients with risk factors for CAD, but with no clinical symptoms, undergo calcium scoring, a procedure offered at Outpatient Radiology in Casper. The major risk factors for CAD are: high blood cholesterol levels, family history of heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, overweight or obese, and physical inactivity.
Outpatient Radiology also offers patients a cardiac CT scan that provides your physician with accurate images to use for calcium scoring. A cardiac CT scan from Outpatient Radiology helps save lives by giving patients necessary information for avoiding a heart attack. For more information about CT scans, click here.
Some heart attacks are sudden and intense; but most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Patients should be aware of the signs of heart attack. Some symptoms of a heart attack include:
- Chest discomfort, in the center of the chest, that lasts more than a few minutes, or pain that goes away and comes back. It often feels like an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
- Pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath.
- Other signs may include: cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
Patients who have suffered from a heart attack can get a cardiac MRI at Wyoming Imaging Center. Cardiac MRI is used to determine the extent of heart muscle damage, detect a buildup of plaque, and assess patient recovery after treatment. For more information about MRIs, click here.
Information about the American Heart Association can be found by clicking here.