Early detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) with ultrafast screening CT provides you and your doctor with valuable information about your risk of cardiovascular disease . The General Electric (GE) LightSpeed UltraFast CT scanner offers the following advantages:

Exam time is 15 minutes.

Less breath holds are required, which improves patient comfort.

The amount of calcium detected by ultrafast CT is related to the amount of underlying coronary atherosclerosis. By measuring the amount of calcium, physicians can predict the amount of plaque build-up that has occurred in the arteries. A heart attack occurs when one of the coronary arteries is blocked and the blood supply to the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped.

Who should be screened for CAD?

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the risk factors for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) are:

family history of heart disease

elevated cholesterol levels

high blood pressure

smoking

diabetes

overweight and obesity

sedentary lifestyle

Heart disease is the single leading cause of death in the United States. The AHA estimates that each year more than 1.1 million people have had or will have heart attacks.

A significant number of heart attack victims never have symptoms, and more than 40% of first heart attacks are fatal. Discuss with your physician whether this test is appropriate for you.