February is American Heart Awareness Month. This article is presented in partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health.
Neptune, NJ, February 1, 2025 … Most people are aware of the variety of tools and techniques cardiologists use to evaluate a person’s heart health, including echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, cardiac stress test, and cardiac catheterization. Over the past several years an increasing number of tests have been found to also accurately diagnose heart disease non-invasively in patients. Of these new tests one of the most easy and inexpensive to receive is a CT Calcium Scoring, a scan that provides imaging of the arteries that supply the heart with blood.
“The body needs calcium to remain healthy, but calcium in the heart’s arteries can be an indicator that plaque is building up in coronary arteries,” said Daniel Kiss, M.D., Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC). “This plaque build up causes narrowing or blockages in the coronary arteries, which can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.” Cardiac calcium scans are painless imaging procedures called CT or CAT scans. Some scanning procedures also include an electrocardiogram (ECG). Cardiac calcium scans take about 10 minutes to complete. They are outpatient procedures that do not use contrast dyes. An electron beam detects and measures the amount of calcium in the heart’s arteries.
The results of the scan are given as a score. The more calcium that is present and evidence of artery thickening, the higher the score. A higher score indicates a greater likelihood of developing heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke. For example, a score of zero means no calcium is seen in the heart; a score greater than 300 is a sign of severe disease and heart attack risk. “Calcium scans can be more effective at identifying plaque build-up than compared to a stress test in some instances,” said Dr. Kiss. “As an example, if all of a person’s arteries are blocked, a stress test’s measurement would look the same across the board and not show a concern.”
Calcium scans may not benefit people with few or no risk factors for heart disease, those identified as having high-risk factors (elevated cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, diabetes, for example) or already diagnosed with heart disease and people who have had a heart attack, stroke, bypass surgery or stents implanted. “People with just some risk factors may benefit most from calcium scans.” In these patients, calcium scans, in conjunction with a detailed medical history and at times other functional tests, can be beneficial.
“Calcium scans help us understand if we need to be more aggressive with our approach either via cardiac catheterization or medical therapy, and how aggressive we should be with any therapy,” said Dr. Kiss. “The results provide information for physicians and patients to use to make better personal care decisions, which is ultimately beneficial for long-term health, well-being, and patient costs.”
Dr. Kiss is Hackensack Meridian Health’s (HMH) AngioScreen Program Director. JSUMC recently opened a $45 million state-of-the-art cardiovascular services suite, tripling patient capacity for emergency and outpatient catheterization, electrophysiology, and structural heart procedures. In addition to calcium scoring, HMH also offers AngioScreen, a comprehensive heart and vascular screening. This simple, noninvasive evaluation helps identify risk for heart disease and stroke. Both screenings are provided at locations throughout New Jersey, including Jersey Shore. For more information and to make an appointment, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.