Northwest Health - La Porte has a new cardiac screening for adults ages 45 and older called the Heart Smart Assessment.
For a low cost of $65, this assessment includes the following:
- An abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA or triple A) screening, an ultrasound checking if there’s a bulge or swelling in the aorta, the main blood vessel that runs from the heart down through the stomach
- An ankle-brachial index test, which looks at blood pressure in the arms and legs to check for any signs of potential peripheral artery disease
- A CT calcium scoring, which measures the amount of calcium in the heart
- A heart rhythm check, which makes sure that the heart is beating at a normal rhythm
Douglas (Doug) Hynek, director of cardiovascular diagnostics at Northwest Health - La Porte, said the local community had a huge influence on how the new assessment was designed.
“We started by asking what the surrounding communities were looking for in terms of heart health and with that information, we worked to put together this assessment program. We wanted to offer the community a cardiac screening to help detect heart disease at its earliest stages and potentially save lives,” he said.
The hospital previously had a different heart assessment test called the Heart Cart Screening, which was disbanded in 2018. Since then, the local community has been asking about bringing back a heart screening program at the La Porte location.
“Back in 2018, we discontinued the Heart Cart Screening, where we would offer screenings like lab tests, and other cardiovascular tests. Since then, we've had further requests to have something similar that we can offer the community. So, that's where we came up with the Heart Smart program,” he said.
“Our community has requested we resume the Heart Cart Screenings provided in the past,” added Chris Atherton, R.N., regional cardiovascular service line director for Northwest Health. “This new Heart Smart Assessment provides the same early detection to identify heart disease early and save lives.”
Once Hynek, Atherton, and their team had input from the community, they combined all their skill sets to develop a program that would best benefit all patients.
“I was working collaboratively with our regional cardiovascular service line director and multiple entities here within the hospital. We all worked together to put this package together. We collaborated and worked really hard to put this program together,” he said.
The Heart Smart Assessment, unlike its predecessor, includes a more in-depth look at the heart’s arteries.
“What we gain from the Heart Smart that the Heart Cart did not offer is the CT calcium scoring which tells us how much calcium deposit might be in the coronary arteries,” Hynek said.
Hynek said having this assessment available makes for a healthier community and provides a greater chance of preventing heart disease.
“We have a healthier community, and we can detect heart disease early. It's always better to detect the disease process in its earliest state when it's most treatable,” he said.
The assessment is highly recommended for adults with any of the following: high blood cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, cigarette smokers, type 2 diabetes, family history of heart disease at age 55 or younger in men and 65 or younger in women, chronic inflammatory conditions, female conditions such as menopause at age 40 or younger, or chronic kidney disease.
Even if there is no indication of heart disease, Hynek still encourages adults to get the assessment since the test could reveal problems that would have gone unnoticed otherwise.
Schedule your Heart Smart Assessment today by calling Northwest Health - La Porte at 219-344-6323. Cash and credit card will be accepted as payment at the time of service, and insurance will not be billed.
For more information about Northwest Health - La Porte, visit https://www.nwhealthlaporte.com/