Cardiac scanning

The silent killer

Heart disease is the biggest killer of men and women in the developed world. According to the British Heart Foundation it kills over 125,000 people a year in the UK. Forty percent of heart disease is not explained by conventional risk factors and sudden death is the first symptom in 25 percent of patients. BUPA Wellness has therefore been working to make the latest technology in coronary artery scanning available as part of a health assessment.

New generation scanners offer much sharper images and lower radiation dosage than previous CT scanners, and BUPA Wellness is now able to recommend scanning for heart disease as part of a routine health assessment.

Coronary artery scanning has been the subject of intense research over the last 15 years and is generally accepted as the best method for early detection of coronary atheroma.

See details of the BUPA Coronary Risk Assessment

A few minutes that could save your life

The scan is so sensitive that it will detect the very first signs of calcium build up in the arteries and the earliest presence of heart disease, well before functional symptoms are present. There is a direct relationship between the amount of calcium and the likelihood of a coronary event for each age group. This high quality prognostic information provides the doctor with excellent evidence with which to guide his or her clinical advice. Detected early coronary artery disease can be easily managed, stabilised or eliminated - to help save a life.

A scan is fast, safe, accurate, painless and non-invasive, taking just 15 minutes to perform. No preparation is required; you don't even need to get undressed. You simply lie on a padded table under the arch of the scanner. Your head is not enclosed at any time so there is no feeling of claustrophobia. You will simply be asked to hold your breath a few times while a series of pictures is taken. The radiation dose is equivalent to two to three months of natural background radiation that we are all subject to.

Putting you in control of your health

We are now recommending a heart scan as part of alternate health assessments for men and women over 40. It is particularly appropriate for people with a family history of heart disease, and those who lead a stressful life, are inactive, overweight or smoke, have raised cholesterol or are diabetic. Including a scan with every other health assessment will provide you with valuable peace of mind for the future, putting you in control with the knowledge that if the disease is caught early, corrective action can be successfully taken. For companies it provides you with additional protection for the health of your often highly pressured key staff as well as continuity for the business.

For heart scanning prices click here

BUPA Wellness can offer cardiac scans as part of the Classic and Premier Health Assessments, or as the Coronary Risk Assessment - a health check that focuses on identifying the main risks of heart disease, with practical advice on how to manage those risks.

Price:
£601 men and women
£432 when purchased with a Classic or Premier
£563 when booked as a follow on or at a different centre