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May 9, 2005 11:15 pm US/Central
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Random Scans Show Heart Disease Signs
(WCCO)
One day at the Mall of America, people were picked at random for a chance at winning a lottery.
The rewards had nothing to do with money and everything to do with detecting coronary disease.
The payoff to WCCO-TV's Heart Health Lottery was a free 64-slice computed tomography (CT) scan to check for signs of blockage and other heart disease symptoms.
People were picked at random and asked if they had any health problems.
"Not that I'm aware of," participant Dan Feist responded.
"If I had a chance to save your life today, would you let me do that?" WCCO-TV anchor and medical reporter Dennis Douda asked.
Participant Sue Burton replied, "Sure."
With the help of the Minnesota Heart Clinic, a random sample of mallgoers were screened for any of five key risk factors, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
People were screened for diabetes, as someone with diabetes has the same risk of having a heart attack as someone who has already had one.
People were asked if they smoked or had a history of smoking. They were also asked if they had the one risk factor they could not control: family history.
"All the males in my dad's side of the family died of heart attacks," said participant Jay McGivern.
Feist, a baggage handler, came in thinking he had no risk factors. He works out three to four days a week and thought he was pretty fit.
But with high blood pressure and borderline high cholesterol, Feist is a candidate for cardiac disease.
"At 47, I want to make up for lost time," Feist said. "It's important to stay limber and get my cholesterol down."
McGivern, 48, is a minister. In his spare time, he's an umpire for a dozen different leagues.
McGivern knew he had a family history of heart trouble, but he was stunned by results of his blood pressure check: 158 over 104. Normal blood pressure is generally no higher than 120 over 80.
"Ohh, that's too high," McGivern said.
McGivern is a likely candidate for hypertension, which afflicts 43 million Americans.
Burton thought her risk factors were under control. She exercises and plays golf two or three times a week. She's passed two stress tests, and she takes cholesterol and hypertension medication.
Burton scored high on her cholesterol and hypertension screenings, so she joined Feist and McGivern for a free 64-slice CT scan.
Each participant was examined inside a 64-slice CT scanner, an extraordinary machine that takes 64 pictures of the heart in less than a second. The new CT scan technology allows doctors to look at various views of the outside of the heart and analyze details a normal scan could not see.
With CT scans, doctors can look for signs of heart disease without cutting into the body or inserting tubes. In the past, doctors have had to use invasive surgery to look for blockage, such as the insertion of a catheter to perform an angiogram.
At first sight, the scanner made Burton a little nervous. Feist said he was very nervous -- not about the procedure, but about the result.
Feist was the first to hear the news from Dr. Michael Thurmes, a heart specialist and president of the Minnesota Heart Clinic.
"If you've gone 47 years without blockage, your odds of developing fatal coronary disease are extremely small," Thurmes told Feist.
"That's good," Feist said. "I'm glad to hear that."
The news wasn't quite as good for Burton, who's already on meds for cholesterol and hypertension.
"I did find some mild coronary artery disease in your heart," Thurmes told Burton. "You've got some early signs of blockage developing."
The scan revealed something no one expected -- a small nodule on Burton's lung. Thurmes believed the nodule was benign, but further tests were planned.
McGivern's scan showed some blockage, too.
"Your CT scan did indeed show signs of early mild coronary disease," Thurmes told McGivern.
Thurmes also told McGivern his blood pressure wasn't just high for the day; he had hypertension. Thurmes advised McGivern to see his doctor right away for some medication.
Three people were picked at random, and two learned something that could save their lives.
"Both of them were probably headed for a heart attack at some time if they kept up the lifestyle that led to the (blockage) in the first place," Thurmes said.
"Maybe this is a wakeup call for me to say, 'It's time to take care of Jay,'" McGivern said.
(WCCO)