When Chris Abranzo was in his early 20s, his father suffered a type of heart attack known as a “heart attack.”widow maker” Severe cardiac events are often fatal, and although Abrunzo’s father survived, Abrunzo takes heart health seriously because family history is one of the strongest indicators of developing heart disease later in life. I started thinking.
Abrunzo started getting regular spots. heart test And he made sure to exercise frequently and eat well. As the years passed, tests continued to show good health, except for some elevated cholesterol levels, which were treated with medication. He had no symptoms such as heart disease. In 2023, a family friend told him about a new, more detailed test that allows him to see the health of his arteries without invasive procedures.
“I went to the hospital thinking that if I got tested, they would say, ‘You’re doing a great job,'” Abranzo recalled. “Well, I had a scan. The scan revealed that there were areas of plaque buildup, many of which don’t show up on an echocardiogram or stress test, but on this scan… It turned out that one of those areas was about 70% blocked. ”
High occlusion artery It can cause a heart attack. Although the blockage Abrunzo discovered was not in a critical artery, it was in a location that would be difficult to treat surgically, so he knew he needed to focus on reducing the blockage. He was prescribed more medication and his diet was further adjusted. exercise therapy. During a medical exam last month, Abranzo was told that the blockage only blocked about 40% of his artery and that his risk of a sudden cardiac event was much lower.
Chris Abranzo
Abranzo, now 47, said: “Just the ability to look inside is miraculous and I think saved my life, probably not in the near future, but probably in my mid-50s. It’s like magic.”
What is cardiac CT angiography?
Cardiac CT angiography is essentially a “CAT scan of the heart,” said Dr. Aeshita Dwivedi, a cardiologist at Northwell Health. Whole-body scanners capture 3D images of the heart and the arteries that supply blood to the organs. Some scanners can capture images in less time than a heartbeat. Doctors can study the 3D images clogplaque buildup and other warning signs of heart disease, Dwivedi said.
This is far more advanced than what Abrunzo was able to do with common non-invasive tests such as echocardiography and stress testing.
“Typically, the artery has to be more than 70 percent blocked for a stress test to show an abnormality,” said Dr. Tony DeFrance, an interventional cardiologist. “And that’s really kind of the problem, because a lot of times when you get an echocardiogram or a calcium test or a stress test, they say, ‘Oh, it’s okay, your heart is strong.'” That’s probably 70 percent of the time. It means no blockage, but we’ve found that it’s not 70% blockage that causes heart attacks, but often 20% and 30% blockage. ”
Clear imaging of the heart and lungs
This test can also look for plaque, a buildup of cholesterol, fat, and blood cells that can narrow or block your arteries. If vulnerable plaques are found, it is often a warning sign of a sudden cardiac event. More than 500,000 Americans die each year in such incidents, DeFrance said.
“Vulnerable plaques are the ones that can cause a heart attack if they tear or rupture,” DeFrance said. Stable or calcified plaque is not harmful, but it can cause symptoms such as: chest pain and the arteries of the heart become narrower.
Expanding access to cardiac CT angiograms
DeFrance said cardiac CT angiography was first used in the early 2000s and its use has increased over the past decade. He himself founded the Cardiovascular CT Association and has trained thousands of physicians in this technique. In 2022, the American College of Cardiology Published guideline recommendations Cardiac CT angiography as an evaluation tool for patients with chest pain.
For Kim and Matt Micho, expanding access to cardiac CT angiograms is personal. Matt Misho believed he was in perfect health, but Kim, who worked in the health care department, offered him a cardiac CT angiography test after testing his technique herself during a business trip. I persuaded him to undergo an imaging test. she was worried about his family history of heart diseaseEven though he claimed to be in good health and had never had any worrying heart tests. Finally, the active husband and father of four was tested and found to have major blockages in several major arteries and was on the verge of a massive heart attack. .
Clear imaging of the heart and lungs
“I always thought I was invincible,” Matt Miccio told CBS News. Upon hearing the news, he rushed to make an appointment with a cardiologist, but was warned that he may need open heart surgery and up to three stents to avoid a serious heart attack. Fortunately, he was able to have the plaque removed with an atherectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that uses a catheter to remove the plaque. This experience inspired the couple to open their own imaging center.
Since June, the Clear Heart and Lung Imaging Center has seen more than 300 patients. Kim Mischo estimates that about 40% of those hundreds were found to have “some degree of coronary artery disease.” DeFrance works at the center, reviewing images taken and helping create treatment plans for patients.
“Cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of death worldwide,” DeFrance said. “With our current workup, most people don’t get infected…Our current paradigm is missing a lot. It’s important to have options.”
