Give yourself the gift of a heart scan this holiday season

An important heart screening may the perfect holiday gift for you or a loved one.

The Heart Scan offered by the Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center, in conjunction with New Mexico Heart Institute, is the most accurate screening tool for identifying heart disease.

The Heart Scan, also known as a coronary calcium scan, can help your doctor get a better understanding of your risk of heart disease, and can detect and measure calcium-containing plaque in the arteries.

The greater the coronary calcium score, the larger the amount of plaque is in the artery wall, and the greater the risk of a heart attack.

Men and women are encouraged to get the Heart Scan at age fifty. The non-invasive CT scan (computed tomography) takes about 5 or 6 seconds, and patients are typically in and out of their appointment within 15 minutes. Yes, you can schedule your Heart Scan between holiday activities!

Talk to your primary care provider to see if the Heart Scan is right for you. To make an appointment with a New Mexico Heart Institute/Lovelace Medical Group cardiovascular provider, call 505.841.1000.