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  • If you received a bill or letter from Cardiovascular Anesthesiologist PC or Precision Anesthesia Billing, LLC please note that Cardiovascular Group and CVGcares.com is not affiliated with either of these organizations

    Cardiovascular Group and Northside Hospital are pleased to announce the signing of a Practice Services Agreement, signifying a major leap forward in cardiovascular patient care and clinical leadership in the Atlanta region.

    If your date of service is after June 1st 2021 use the button below to pay your bill online.



    Coronary Calcium Scan

    Why Get A Coronary Calcium Scan

    A coronary calcium scan, also known as a heart scan or calcium scan test, is a test that uses X-ray technology better known as a computed tomography (CT) scan to assess your risk of heart disease and heart attacks. The test does this by taking pictures of the arteries that transfer blood from your heart throughout the body to check for calcium.

    The calcium that this test searches for is part of a material that can buildup on your arteries known as plaque, which is composed of calcium and fatty deposits. In the beginning, this plaque has a waxy texture, but over time it can harden and become calcified. 

    Calcified plaque is an issue because it can clog your coronary arteries and slow blood flow, causing difficulties for oxygen-rich blood to circulate through your body. This plaque can also break open and lead to a blood clot within your blood vessels, creating high risk of a heart attack.


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    Office Buford

    2800 Buford Drive Suite 320 Buford GA 30519

    Phone : 7709620399

    Fax : 7702908084

    Office Duluth

    3855 Pleasant Hill Road Suite 250 Duluth, Georgia

    Phone : 7707587837

    Fax : 7702908084

    Office Dacula

    2108 Teron Trace Suite 100, Dacula, Georgia

    Phone : 7709620399

    Fax : 7702908084

    Office Grayson

    1132 Athens Highway Suite 207 Grayson, Georgia

    Phone : 4703251150

    Fax : 7702908084

    Office Snellville

    1608 Tree Lane, Building C Snellville, GA

    Phone : 4704729212

    Fax : 7702908084

    Office Suwanee

    1120 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard Suite 208 & 209 Suwanee, Georgia

    Phone : 7706379247

    Fax : 7702908084

    When To Get Checked

    There are many simpler tests that can check for signs of heart disease, so a coronary calcium scan is only recommended if you have multiple risk factors for coronary artery disease. Since the test exposes you to a small dose of radiation, doctors will typically recommend other tests if you do not have an increased risk of heart disease.

    Risk factors for heart disease and stroke include your age and gender, your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and whether you smoke tobacco. If these factors determine you are at a moderate chance of heart disease, your doctor has the most reason to recommend this test. For those with a low chance of heart disease, the test isn’t likely to show any calcium, while those with a high chance are unlikely to learn anything they didn’t already know.

    If you have a moderate chance, the coronary calcium scan will tell you how much calcified plaque is in the arteries of your heart. This can help you and your doctor determine if you need to make any lifestyle changes or begin medications.

    How The Test Works

    Before your visit, your doctor may ask that you avoid caffeine or smoking for at least 4 hours before the test. When you arrive at the hospital, you must take off any clothing and jewelry above the waist and put on a hospital gown. A technician will then attach sensors called electrodes to your chest.

    These connect to an EKG machine, which records the electrical activity of your heart during the exam and coordinates the timing of the X-ray pictures so they are taken in between heartbeats, when the heart muscles are relaxed. During the scan, you will lie back on a table which slides into the CT scanner, which is similar to a hollow tube, and your head will be outside of the scanner at all times.

    You may receive medication before the exam to help keep you calm and slow your heart rate, so the results will be more accurate. The exam typically takes only 10 to 15 minutes, and once it is completed you are able to resume your regular routine.

    What The Results Mean

    The results of the scan gives you a number that is known as an Agatston score. You may receive the results the same day as your scan, though it may take longer. If your number is zero, this means that the scan did not discover any calcium. The higher your calcium score, the greater your risk is of developing heart disease.

    A score of 100 to 300 means you have moderate plaque deposits, which suggests a somewhat high risk of developing heart disease over the next few years. A score of over 300 means that you have a severe risk of developing heart disease or experiencing a heart attack.

    If you receive a high score, your doctor will help you come up with a plan that may include lifestyle changes, such as increasing your physical activity, switching to a healthier diet, and avoiding tobacco and alcohol consumption. Your doctor may also prescribe you medications that will help lower your risk of developing heart disease, including medications for high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

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    Invasive therapies may also be used to treat an abnormal heart rhythm, such as electrical cardioversion which sends electrical impulses through your chest wall and allows normal heart rhythm to restart, or catheter ablation which disconnects the pathway of the abnormal rhythm. If your doctor determines that electrical devices are the best course of action, you may be given a permanent pacemaker, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), or biventricular (B-V) pacemakers and defibrillators.

    How CVG Can Help

    CVG offers a variety of services that can check and treat abnormal heart rhythms. At CVG, we perform stress tests that will observe blood flow and test for atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias. There are three types of stress tests that we perform:
    A treadmill test is a test in which you will walk on a treadmill that gets faster and steeper every 3 minutes. This will stress your heart so that our nurse or doctor can determine your EKG and blood pressure.
    An echo test is performed before and after your treadmill test to determine how well your heart pumps blood.
    A nuclear stress test is a treadmill test that is prefaced by an injection of medicine that shows the flow of blood to your heart.
    We also offer cardiac catheterization, in which a catheter is inserted into the heart in order to take pictures and conduct tests. This procedure allows doctors to gain more information about your condition and suggest treatment options.

     

    If these tests determine a problem, we offer treatment solutions to fix several conditions. Learn more about our services here, or schedule an appointment to talk to our doctors.

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