INDIANAPOLIS — For this month's Check Up 13, we are talking about your heart.
It's your body's engine, beating 100,000 times a day, pumping blood to your brain and down to your toes.
You want your heart to be healthy, and all those vessels carrying blood to be wide open.
When you get a heart scan, it measures how much calcium is in the area of your heart. You want your calcium score to be zero. The higher it is, the more calcium that could causes blockages.
And blockages are bad.
Indianapolis firefighter Mark Notter had three of them.
He was fit at 45 years old. But a required stress test at work was elevated. That led to the heart scan, and that led to triple bypass surgery.
His doctor is so thrilled to see that Mark is back on the job and knows the odds were not in Mark's favor.
"I think that had he not obtained the treadmill and the calcium score," said Dr. Chris Hollon, a cardiologist at Ascension St. Vincent, "I think there'd be a very different outcome."
To qualify for this special screening, patients must be 40-years-old or older, not have had a Heart Scan within the last five years, and must have at least one of the following risk factors:
- Family history of heart or vascular disease
- Diabetes
- High blood cholesterol levels (greater than 160/LDL)
- High blood pressure (greater than 140/90)
- Current smoker
- Obese
- Physical inactivity
- Poor Diet
It is recommended that individuals consult with their physician before undertaking the test. Individuals are also encouraged to review their Heart Scan results with their physician.
The heart scan is available at these Ascension St. Vincent locations around central Indiana for $49, courtesy of Check Up 13.
To sign up, call the hotline at 866-UCHECK13 (866-824-3251) between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. today, or register online at WTHR.com before midnight tonight.