Are Heart Scans Suitable for Everyone?
Often a patient may be suspected of having symptoms of heart disease , diagnostic tests such as computed tomography (CT) angiograms or nuclear stress tests may be recommended by their medical practitioner.
Being a heart-imaging test , a coronary CT angiogram can detect whether fatty or calcium deposits have accumulated in the arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle. Whereas nuclear stress tests can find out if there is a lack of blood flow in the heart muscle, which could mean a blockage in a heart artery.
However, in a scientific advisory released on February 2, 2009 in the Journal Circulation by the American Heart Association (AHA) suggested that doctors must use these tests with discretion and avoid screening their patients frequently for cardiac problems . Doctors are also advised to weigh risks and benefits before they recommend their patients since even such low-dose radiation does has the potential to cause cancer.
The AHA points out, heart scan recommendation should not be given to a patient who is at low risk of having heart disease and who does not have symptoms of heart disease. Doctors should have careful consideration and advice their patients for cardiac imaging only when this would potentially benefit the patients.
It definitely is not the intention of the AHA to scare the public that these diagnostic tests are dangerous and should not be used at all. What they mean is that the right tests should be used in the right patient.
Medical imaging techniques are the largest source of controllable radiation exposure of Americans, and so doctors must be aware of the potential harm from even small doses of radiation
As far as possible, doctors should tackle clinical question from their patients without using ionizing radiation. However, if the doctors are certain that ionizing radiation is necessary, they should make every effort to minimise the radiation dose.
In United States, there is no federal regulation of radiation dose, the only exception being for mammograms (for breast cancer). It is left to the doctors and medical facilities to determine the appropriate use of the scanning equipment and radiation dose .
Being a heart-imaging test , a coronary CT angiogram can detect whether fatty or calcium deposits have accumulated in the arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle. Whereas nuclear stress tests can find out if there is a lack of blood flow in the heart muscle, which could mean a blockage in a heart artery.
However, in a scientific advisory released on February 2, 2009 in the Journal Circulation by the American Heart Association (AHA) suggested that doctors must use these tests with discretion and avoid screening their patients frequently for cardiac problems . Doctors are also advised to weigh risks and benefits before they recommend their patients since even such low-dose radiation does has the potential to cause cancer.
The AHA points out, heart scan recommendation should not be given to a patient who is at low risk of having heart disease and who does not have symptoms of heart disease. Doctors should have careful consideration and advice their patients for cardiac imaging only when this would potentially benefit the patients.
It definitely is not the intention of the AHA to scare the public that these diagnostic tests are dangerous and should not be used at all. What they mean is that the right tests should be used in the right patient.
Medical imaging techniques are the largest source of controllable radiation exposure of Americans, and so doctors must be aware of the potential harm from even small doses of radiation
As far as possible, doctors should tackle clinical question from their patients without using ionizing radiation. However, if the doctors are certain that ionizing radiation is necessary, they should make every effort to minimise the radiation dose.
In United States, there is no federal regulation of radiation dose, the only exception being for mammograms (for breast cancer). It is left to the doctors and medical facilities to determine the appropriate use of the scanning equipment and radiation dose .
posted by Heart Scan @ 5:40 AM
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