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:
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 12, Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin, 821 North Cobb St., Milledgeville.
• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 25, 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. Testing is free for veterans.
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 702,880 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.
A painless AngioScreen only takes six 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.
“Using the data from the AngioScreen, doctors can identify patients with significant cardiovascular disease before serious life-threatening problems can occur,” said Dr. Erskine James, an Atrium Health Navicent cardiologist. “It can detect early stages of blockages even before patients start showing symptoms. A medical provider will follow up with patients to discuss any immediate action, if needed, and to recommend any changes that could improve their overall vascular health.”
If heart disease is detected, patients can rest easy knowing world-class care is available close to home at the Atrium Health Navicent Luce Heart Institute. In fact, 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.Atrium Health Navicent was one of the first in the region to implement the use of the Watchman device for people with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). The Watchman procedure is one of several ways patients can get specialized care at the Structural Heart and Valve Clinic at Atrium Health Navicent, one of only two such clinics south of Atlanta, and the only one in our region to offer Transaortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).
For patients recovering from heart attacks or heart surgery, Atrium Health Navicent Heart & Vascular Care's Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) program has a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, counselors, nurses, dieticians and therapists to take care of VAD patients. It’s one of only two such programs south of Atlanta.
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 well-being 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.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.