Atrium Health Navicent Offers AngioScreening For Early Heart Disease Detection

Is your heart worth 12 minutes of your time? Doctors at Atrium Health Navicent want you to know that a simple AngioScreen can help determine if you are at risk for heart attack or stroke — and the screening only takes a few minutes.

Central Georgians can take advantage of two opportunities to get this valuable screening:

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 20, Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center, Luce Heart Institute, fourth floor, 756 First St., Macon.

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 27, Atrium Health Navicent Peach, 1960 Ga. 247, Byron.

To schedule an appointment for an AngioScreen during these two opportunities, call (800) 627-2393. The cost of the test is $50.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The CDC estimates that 697,000 people in the U.S. die of heart disease each year – approximately 1 in every 5 deaths.

Deaths related to heart disease are particularly high in Georgia and the Southeast, which is why taking care of your heart through regular examinations is key to prevention. One of the methods physicians use to find heart disease is through an AngioScreen. An Angioscreen is a scan that shows blood flow through arteries in the neck, arms and legs. The blood vessels appear on the image after a contrast dye is injected into the blood, which lights up on the scan wherever it flows.

An AngioScreen only takes a few minutes and looks for blockages in the body, checks blood pressure, pulse and body mass index. The test produces an instant, color ultrasound printout of your data, showing your risk of heart disease and stroke.

“Our goal is to identify individuals with significant cardiovascular disease through our screening process, before serious life-threatening problems can occur,” said Dr. James Foster, an Atrium Health Navicent cardiothoracic surgeon. “Some patients may not have any symptoms, but will have early stages of blockages that they would otherwise not know about.This screening allows us to identify those disease processes early and get patients on the right track toward taking care of their health and managing their condition.”

If heart disease is detected, patients can rest easy knowing world-class care is close to home at Atrium Health Navicent Luce Heart Institute, located at Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center. Atrium Health Navicent is one of only four hospital systems in the nation — and the only one in Georgia — to receive the triple crown of heart accreditations by the American College of Cardiology. These designations include Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation, Heart Failure Accreditation and Atrial Fibrillation with EPS Accreditation.

To find a doctor, visit www.NavicentHealth.org and click “Find A Doctor.”

About Atrium Health Navicent

Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.