Heart Scans at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital

According to the American Heart Association’s 2005 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, cardiovascular disease accounted for 38.0 percent of all deaths or 1 of every 2.6 deaths in the United States in 2002. Of the over 2,400,000 deaths in 2002, approximately 1,400,000 of those deaths was attributed to cardiovascular disease as the primary cause of death.

Keeping your risk factors low and early detection are key to keeping your heart healthy and avoiding cardiovascular disease. The heart scans at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital offer a quick, non-invasive procedure that will determine any possible risk of heart disease.

Performed by the 64-slice CT, the heart scans at Good Shepherd Hospital provide a calcium score indicating blockages of the coronary arteries. If you have had a previous heart attack, bypass surgery, stents or angioplasty, you are not a candidate for the test. Good Shepherd Hospital offers two levels of heart CT scans:

• CT scan plus cholesterol profile and nurse consultation
• CT scan only

How the test is performed
The heart scan is a painless and quick procedure--approximately 30 minutes. During the CT scan, you will simply lay comfortably and non-confined on the exam table while the test is performed. The actual imaging only takes a few seconds.

A twelve-hour fast is required if you register for the CT scan plus cholesterol profile and nurse consultation. You may drink water, but do not take medications that require taking them with food and do not drink caffeine for six hours prior to your screening exam. On the day of your screening please refrain from wearing any metal in the chest or neck area, including underwire bras.

Once the test is complete, a cardiologist and radiologist will read your scan results. You will receive your results and your actual scan on a CD-ROM, plus additional information on reducing your risk of developing cardiac disease. If you are having a cholesterol profile, a cardiac nurse will conduct the test with a simple finger prick to obtain a blood sample. Once your blood sample has been tested, your cardiac nurse will discuss your CT scan and cholesterol profile results with you.

Your results will also be sent to your primary care physician within five days after the procedure. Please follow up with your physician to further discuss your results.

Scheduling and Cost
Call HealthAdvisor at 1-800-3-ADVOCATE (1-800-323-8622) to schedule your heart scan. Heart CT scans are performed during convenient day and evening hours, Monday through Thursday (scans with cholesterol are only available during day hours). You must already have an established relationship with a physician so that your results can be reviewed and entered into your medical chart. If you do not have a physician, a HealthAdvisor representative can provide you with information about the physicians in your area.

The cost for a heart CT scan plus cholesterol profile and nurse consultation is $325. The heart CT scan only is $300. You may pay by cash or check at the time of your appointment.

Please note that insurance does not pay for the heart CT scan.

Learn more about

• How the 64-Slice CT at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital is different
• Innovative Procedures with the 64-Slice CT Scanner
• Heart and Lungs Scans at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital
• Lung Scans at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital