Do I need a Heart Scan? part 2

There is still a lot of controversy about heart scans. If you have no family history, or risk factors then your risk of having a heart attack is very low. The heart scan in this instance will tell you what you and your doctor already know. In this case, the best advice is to get a second opinion and keep away from the physician who owns the machine.

Because of the rampant abuse of heart scans by physicians to generate income, the American College of Cardiology has developed guidelines to determine if you need a heart scan.

Individuals who do not need a heart Scan:

You do not need a heart scan if you are younger than age 55, have normal cholesterol, well controlled blood pressure and you do not smoke. In such a scenario, you have a very low risk of a heart attack. Since you are already at low risk, a heart scan will not tell the doctor anything new or what it not already known. The only thing a heart scan does in such a case is increase the doctor’s income by another $1,500.

A heart scan is not needed in individuals who have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoke and are over 65. these individuals are at high risk of a heart attack. Since both you and your doctor know this, a heart scan is useless. Hopefully, you have a decent doctor who will try and help you bring the cholesterol down and control your blood pressure. If you are smoking, you better quit. But you definitely do not need a heart scan

Individuals who have already had a heart attack should not have a heart scan because it does not tell anything new.

Individuals who have already had a open heart bypass should not have a heart scan because the scan can not reveal anything new. Similarly, individuals who have had angioplasty or ballooning of their coronaries should not have a heart scan. In all these cases, it is known that you are already at a high risk for a heart attack or have had one. So a heart scan is useless.

So when does one need a heart scan?

There are some individuals who fall some where in the middle. These individuals are in between the age of 55-65, may have borderline cholesterol, high blood pressure or may be light smokers. In such cases, the risk for a heart attack is not known. Thus, a heart scan may help determine the risk if you have any chest pain, especially if the doctor does not know what is causing your chest pain.