High tech cardiac screening helped save local man's life скачать в хорошем качестве

High tech cardiac screening helped save local man's life

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - A local man is saying a big thank you to a medical team that saved his life. A breakthrough imaging test now in the Tri-State allows doctors to not just see what's happening in the heart, but freeze its motion and make potentially life-saving discoveries. Bob Hoffer was a busy dad with a healthy lifestyle “I was planning on running a marathon,” said Hoffer. But when a young friend of Bob Hoffer suddenly died of a heart attack, Bob, who also had a family history of the disease, decided to see a health provider at the St. Elizabeth Imaging Center. They were recently named as a “Center of Excellence.” Luckily, Hoffer got referred for a test which he says likely saved his life. When doctors reviewed the results, what they found was remarkable. You could see it on an image: A narrowing in a critical part of the heart, which for Bob meant trouble. “You have 85 percent blockage in the ‘widowmaker’,” said Hoffer. The Widowmaker gets its name because it's very deadly. “[The widowmaker affects] One of the main arteries of the heart, a lesion there is often fatal,” said Dr. Gary Schmitt, a Radiologist at St. Elizabeth Healthcare. Hoffer knows getting an image from the test, called a CT Angiogram or CTA, may have been critical for diagnosis. “The diagnostic is key to treatment, and getting accurate treatment,” said Jason Wessel, VP of Professional Services for St. Elizabeth Healthcare. “A week later, I ended up having a stent put in, and I've been great ever since,” said Hoffer. “As a result, I sent out an email on this prayer chain and encouraged anyone with cardiac history it have this test done, dozens had it done, family members and at least three close friends ended up having blockages and some of them ended up having stents.” Talk about paying it forward! The imaging team at Saint Elizabeth says if you have a family history of this disease, or symptoms, the test is covered by medical insurance plans, so ask your own doctor if it's recommended. Doctors say in about one out of ten who take this test, they do find some kind of a heart problem.