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Ed Yeates reporting Cardiologists and radiologists at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) joined together today to make an announcement about a landmark study that might change the way heart disease is diagnosed and treated around the world!
On a sunny day like today, John Doe goes outside to walk his dog or mow the lawn. Though he's never had chest pains or signs of heart disease, he suddenly drops dead from a heart attack.
Brent Muhlestein, M.D., IMC director of cardiac research, said, "Half of the patients who have heart attacks, have heart attacks as their first symptom. And half of those die with a heart attack before they ever reach the hospital." It's that population, possibly numbering more than 500,000 in the U.S. alone, who might benefit from this research.
Using CT scans, IMC researchers will document the hearts and arteries of hundreds of volunteers to see if they can code and measure and even prevent--perhaps 10 years early--the cues of what later could suddenly snuff out lives.
New generation CT scanners are providing incredible pictures of the heart, so detailed they can even identify the kind of plaque that's accumulating. They clearly show the buildup of soft plaque, the bad plaque that can break away without warning.
Dr. Chris McGann, an LDS Hospital cardiologist, said, "So we actually see disease in the vessel walls that's not possible on an invasive test."
Patient Gary Steadman told us, "I would go out and mow the lawn or work in the garden. I'd get tired, but I'd just attribute that to old age, I guess." He didn't suddenly drop dead, because even though he had no symptoms, CT models saw the early cues and he got treatment.
Researchers are using patients with diabetes because they often have the early cues in the absence of any symptoms.
The next generation CT will do even more, taking a complete, detailed scan of the entire heart in a single heartbeat.
Those who are interested in participating in the study may contact Lisa Bredthauer at 801-507-4772 or Amanda Grove at 801-507-4763 to see if they qualify.
E-mail: eyeates@ksl.com
