Coronary artery disease develops slowly over time and restricts vital blood flow to your heart. Cardiac PET Partners use viability testing to evaluate your heart function and blood flow. Learn more about coronary artery disease and its warning signs by scheduling an appointment over the phone or booking online today.
Coronary artery disease is a chronic condition affecting your cardiovascular system, which carries oxygenated blood to all of your organs and tissues. The condition is quite common and starts when cholesterol deposits, called plaque, build up along the inner walls of your arteries.
These deposits restrict blood flow to your heart, causing angina (chest pain). Significant complications can happen, too, including heart attacks and heart failure. Unfortunately, the condition can develop for decades before you realize something is wrong and get treatment.
There are numerous risk factors for coronary artery disease that your primary care provider can detail to you. To prevent it or any complications from it, you should manage your weight, quit smoking, and get plenty of exercise.
Coronary artery disease can present symptoms, but they’re often subtle enough that people ignore them in the early stages. The symptoms get progressively worse as the blockage of oxygen-rich blood gets worse.
Possible symptoms include:
Some people don’t realize they have coronary artery disease until after a major medical event such as a heart attack happens.
With or without a coronary artery disease diagnosis, you should see a doctor right away if you experience symptoms of a heart attack such as shortness of breath, shoulder and arm pain, nausea, and fatigue.
Cardiac PET Partners offers detailed testing services like viability testing to diagnose or monitor coronary artery disease.
A combined positron emission tomography (PET) scan and computed tomography (CT) scan shows blood flow into and within your heart and helps your providers evaluate the function of your heart.
If you have symptoms of coronary artery disease, your primary care provider or a specialist may refer you to Cardiac PET Partners for testing as they attempt to make a diagnosis. You might also benefit from testing at the practice if you already have a diagnosis but need to monitor the condition as a way to avoid complications.
Find out more about coronary artery disease and tests that can tell you more about your heart function by scheduling an appointment over the phone or booking one online today.