He had no symptoms of heart disease.
A cardiac CT angiogram is a test that essentially conducts “a CAT scan for the heart,” said Dr. Aeshita Dwivedi, a cardiologist at Northwell Health.
Expanding access to cardiac CT angiograms Cardiac CT angiograms were first used in the early 2000s, said DeFrance, and the past decade has seen an increase in their use.
In 2022, the American College of Cardiology issued guidelines recommending cardiac CT angiography as an evaluation tool for patients complaining of chest pain.
“The number one killer now, worldwide, is cardiovascular disease,” DeFrance said.
His father had a “widow maker” heart attack when Chris Abrunzo was in his early twenties. Even though his father lived, the severe cardiac events are frequently fatal, and since family history is one of the best predictors of heart disease later in life, Abrunzo was motivated to take his heart health seriously.
In addition to making sure to exercise regularly and eat healthily, Abrunzo began receiving routine cardiac exams. Test results over the years continued to indicate that he was in excellent health, with the exception of some elevated cholesterol that he managed with medicine. He showed no signs of heart problems. He was informed by a family friend in 2023 about a more recent, comprehensive test that provided an artery view without requiring any invasive procedures.
“I go in expecting to be told, ‘You’re doing a great job,’ and get a scan,” Abrunzo recalled. “Well, I had a scan, and the results showed that I had plaque accumulation in several places. These areas would not have been visible on a stress test or echocardiogram, but they were visible on this scan. About 70 percent of one of those areas was blocked. “.
Heart attacks can be brought on by severe arterial blockage. The blockage Abrunzo discovered was in an area that would be challenging to treat surgically, so he knew he needed to concentrate on minimizing the accumulation even though it wasn’t in a vital artery. Along with further dietary and exercise modifications, he was prescribed additional medications. Abrunzo was told at a checkup last month that he was at much lower risk of a sudden cardiac event because the blockage was only blocking about 40% of his artery.
“This just the ability to look inside there is just something that’s miraculous and probably saved my life, not in the very near future, but probably in my mid-50s,” said 47-year-old Abrunzo. It resembles magic. “..”.
What is CT angiography of the heart?
A cardiac CT angiogram is a test that basically performs “a CAT scan for the heart,” according to Northwell Health cardiologist Dr. Dot Aeshita Dwivedi. Three-dimensional images of the heart and the arteries supplying blood to the organ are obtained by the full-body scanner. In less time than a heartbeat, some scanners can capture an image. According to Dwivedi, medical professionals can examine that 3D image for blockages, plaque accumulation, and other cardiac disease warning indicators.
It is far more sophisticated than the conventional noninvasive tests that Abrunzo was performing, such as stress tests and echocardiograms.
Interventional cardiologist Dr. Tony DeFrance stated, “Typically, an abnormality on a stress test requires more than 70 percent blockage in the arteries.”. And that’s a big issue because individuals frequently get stress tests, calcium tests, and echocardiograms and are told, ‘Oh, you’re fine, your heart is strong. It is likely that they do not have a 70% blockage. However, during the past few decades, we have discovered that heart attacks are not caused by 70% blockages. The 20 and 30 percent blockages are frequently the cause. “.”.
The test can also examine plaque, which is a buildup of blood cells, cholesterol, fat, and other substances that can obstruct or narrow arteries. When discovered, vulnerable plaque frequently indicates an impending myocardial infarction. According to DeFrance, these incidents claim the lives of more than 500,000 Americans annually.
Plaques that are susceptible dot. are those that provoke heart attacks when they rip or burst,” DeFrance stated. Although stable, or calcified, plaque can narrow the heart’s arteries and cause chest pain, it is less dangerous.
extending cardiac CT angiography access.
According to DeFrance, the use of cardiac CT angiograms has increased during the last ten years after being introduced in the early 2000s. In addition to teaching thousands of doctors how to use the technology, he founded the Society of Cardiovascular CT. The American College of Cardiology published guidelines in 2022 that suggested cardiac CT angiography as a diagnostic procedure for patients who were experiencing chest pain.
It is personal for Kim and Matt Mischo to increase access to cardiac CT angiography. Matt Mischo thought he was in excellent health, but after testing the technology herself while on a work trip, Kim, who worked in health care administration, persuaded him to get a cardiac CT angiogram. Despite his insistence that he was healthy and had never had any concerning cardiac exams, she was concerned about the history of heart disease in his family. When the busy husband and father of four finally had the test, it revealed that he had severe blockages in several important arteries and was in danger of having a heart attack.
“I believed that I was always unbeatable,” Matt Mischo said to CBS News. After hearing the news, he hurried to make an appointment with a cardiologist, who informed him that in order to prevent a serious heart attack, he might require up to three stents and open heart surgery. Fortunately, he was able to remove the plaque using an atherectomy, which is a minimally invasive procedure that involves using a catheter to remove plaque. The couple opened their own imaging center as a result of the encounter.
The Clear Heart and Lung Imaging Center has seen over 300 patients since June. According to Kim Mischo, roughly 40% of those hundreds have been diagnosed with “some level of coronary artery disease.”. At the center, DeFrance assists in reviewing the photos and creating patient treatment plans.
According to DeFrance, “cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of death worldwide.”. “Most people are not caught by our current workup. There are many things missing from our current paradigm. It is essential to work towards prevention and early disease detection so that we have a greater number of options. “.
