Early diagnosis of coronary artery disease
Written by:Unfortunately, we have had to live through a time when daily bustle causes many people to live in a deep state of constant stress. Meeting after meeting, eating fast and late, sleeping a few hours and with the work agenda always present 24 hours, is not aware that this pace of life so frantic, and that continuously adds to the classic risk factors ( cholesterol, hypertension, snuff, sedentary lifestyle ...), enables the onset of heart attack when we least expect it .
The groups that should pay more attention to their heart are mainly those who perform demanding work as entrepreneurs, executives or journalists. Those who carry an added burden due to family problems or concerns derived from precariousness in current jobs should also be monitored.
Technological advances
Nowadays, and thanks to the advanced technology available, it is possible to accurately observe the condition of the coronary arteries and to predict if the person is at risk of suffering a myocardial infarction in a period of between 3 and 5 years.. This is what the Dra. Enriqueta Alomar, Medical Director of Creu Blanca Medical Centers.
Thanks to scanners like the Aquilion One with 320 crowns it is possible to draw an absolutely detailed and 4-dimensional map of our heart with a single heartbeat. "Thanks to the precision of the Aquilion One we can visualize the arteries of the heart and detect the least injury. In a person who has to give over 100% of his performance usually, if the exploration concludes with a satisfactory result, we can assure him that in a period of between 3 and 5 years his risk of suffering a heart attack will be minimal ", assures the Medical Director of the Creu Blanca Clinic .
The test called Virtual Coronary Angiography or Non-invasive Coronary Angiography- to distinguish it from conventional coronary angiography in which it is necessary to sedate the patient and perform a catheterization-is a simple exploration that only requires the patient to go on an empty stomach.
"The test itself does not last more than 20 seconds. The patient remains at rest on a stretcher instrumented with different sensors while the team is taking the images that will later be reconstructed digitally. The intravenous contrast administration will allow us to obtain an image of the heart with all its coronary anatomy and vascular structure . "
Once the test is done, the patient can continue with his daily routine and after a few days he will be given the result with the necessary recommendations in case of detecting any anomaly.
This examination is recommended for all those over 40 years of age who have a family history of heart attack or more than 50 with a risk factor.
In Spain, 123,000 people die every year from cardiovascular diseases. It is recommended both men and women since the statistics of cardiovascular accidents is similar in both sexes due to the full incorporation of women into the workplace for decades.
