More than one third of all fatal heart attacks occur in people who have noticed no prior symptoms. One reason is the build-up of plaque in the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, which occurs gradually over time. Knowing the amount of calcification, through a quick and non-invasive procedure called cardiac scoring, helps determine your risk for a heart attack and can lead to lifestyle adjustments to prevent heart attack.
This procedure is recommended for people with three or more of the known risk factors for coronary artery disease, including:
- Men over age 45
- Women over age 55
- High blood pressure (greater than 140/90)
- High cholesterol (greater than 200 mg/dl)
- Diabetes
- Cigarette smoking
- Family history of heart disease
- Sedentary lifestyle (exercising less than three times a week)
- Overweight by 20% or more
- High-stress lifestyle
During a cardiac scoring procedure, now offered at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, you will be asked to fill out a cardiac risk profile, which will ask about your family history, lifestyle and activities. Then you will be given a painless, non-invasive scan called a spiral CT exam, which lasts approximately 15 minutes and requires no IVs or injections. The spiral CT will take a high-quality image of your beating heart and detect calcification, or plaque, in your coronary arteries.
This test is recommended to be performed every 1-2 years.
Based on the amount of calcification and taking into account information gathered in the cardiac risk profile, results are given a score, with high scores being predictive of heart disease.
A radiologist interprets the score and sends the results to the patient's primary care physician, who will discuss the results with you and determine next steps.
Cardiac scoring may not be covered by your insurance as the nature of the test is for "screening" purposes. You may want to call and verify insurance coverage prior to scheduling. The cost of the procedure at Swedish Covenant Hospital is $350. A physician's order is required to perform the test; please consult with your physician.
To learn more, or to schedule your cardiac scoring procedure, call the Appointment Center at 773-878-6888.
