High-Speed Heart Examination Innovation
For diagnosing patients with low to medium risk of coronary artery disease, those with unclear symptoms of coronary artery disease, as well as evaluating the results after treating coronary artery disease, including differentiating ischemic heart muscle diseases due to coronary artery blockage from myocarditis or non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, the use of high-speed 256-Slice CT Scan X-ray machine not only increases the efficiency by being able to indicate the amount of plaque calcification under the intima layer of the coronary artery walls, thus predicting the risk of future coronary artery disease along with other risk factors, but also has many advantages such as:
- Clear, correct, high resolution, and comprehensive image coverage of the area to be examined
- Short examination time, as the scanning machine rotates at 0.27 seconds per rotation, reducing the amount of X-ray radiation exposure to the patient
- Can diagnose coronary artery disease in patients with a heart rate faster than 70 beats per minute
- Can examine the amount of plaque calcification and abnormalities in the blood vessels in one go
- Interpretation is accurate by radiologists and cardiologists
“With its cylindrical tunnel design open at both ends, inside there’s an X-ray tube and a receiver that rotates 360 degrees at high speed, accompanied by a sliding examination table, it can thoroughly detect signals of heart and coronary arteries.”
6 Steps of the Examination
The duration of a 256-Slice CT Scan is about 5 seconds for the scanning phase, but including the equipment setup and venous catheterization, the total is approximately 30 minutes. The six steps of diagnosing coronary artery disease are:
- Change into the provided outfit, not wearing any metal jewelry
- 24 hours before the exam, avoid drinking tea, coffee, soda, and eating chocolate
- 12 hours before the exam, avoid Viagra, Cialis, Levitra
- Lie flat on the examination table, secured with straps to prevent movement
- Attach the EKG leads to the chest and a blood pressure cuff to the arm
- Hold your breath for 10 seconds, with a practice session beforehand to ensure correct execution
Preparation Before the Examination
It is important to inform the doctor before the examination with the 256-Slice CT Scan about:
- Claustrophobia
- Pregnancy or possible pregnancy
- Seafood allergy
- Iodine allergy
- Diabetes, kidney disease
- Regular medications, especially Biguanides
Post-Examination Care
After the examination with the high-speed 256-Slice CT Scan, patients need to rest and be observed for about 20 – 30 minutes. If normal, patients can eat and resume normal activities. Except in cases where the patient has taken sedative or anesthesia prior to the examination, they must rest and be observed for symptoms first. The results will be completely processed in 2 hours after the scan, and the doctor will explain all details to the patient.
Since coronary artery disease is a common and life-threatening condition, especially among high-risk groups such as men over 40 and women over 55 with diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, etc., as well as those with a family history of coronary artery disease, it is advisable to have a heart check-up and regularly consult a doctor every year before it’s too late.
