Providing independent clinical excellence since 2005
Posted on Friday February 23, 2024 in Health Screening
With a combination of state-of-the-art imaging, the ability to predict future heart attacks and atherosclerosis many years before symptoms occur, along with our advanced echocardiography, ECG, and blood testing services, SCVC/VCL are in a good position to offer advanced wellness programmes for companies wishing to provide the very best available preventative care for their employees and directors.
We have designed a package of core tests, largely funded by the employer, where the employee attends our one stop clinical diagnostic centre (CDC) to have advanced health screening. These packages go way above and beyond what is offered in any of the standard available health screening packages available at general screening services elsewhere, with the possible exception of some very exclusive executive programs, affordable by few.
In essence, all employees and directors have a pre consultation step, where a consultant cardiologists evaluates their individual risk: those employees over the age of 40 years of age are then in most cases offered a full cardiac CT angiogram with the CaRi-Heart AI technology for coronary inflammation measurement, which is the best available predictor of future cardiac events. For those under 40 yrs (where an ionising radiation test cannot be justified unless there are symptoms or major CHD risk factors), we arrange a screening echocardiogram instead, which is an ultrasound test capable of picking up heart muscle and valve abnormalities, some of which have serious health implications.
Our packages are always bundled with a 12-lead ECG, Blood pressure check, blood lipid testing, and a consultant cardiologist report, which means in most cases, there is no need for any further consultation or investigation.
For those participating in this scheme, we offer the employees the option to access to discounted additional tests that they may be interested in. This will be a very individual choice, depending on their past history, ambition in sports, and own health concerns.
It is helpful to know prior to attendance whether any of these tests are being considered, as in some cases, they can be offered on the same day.
The range of tests that are discounted for our corporate employees schemes include:
If any of the above are of interest for employers or employees attending a company wellness check, it may be worth mentioning at the time of the discovery call or during their pre-consultation questionnaire, so that the patient care coordinators can advise about the tests and the costs involved.
Substantial discounts are available for employees attending these wellness checks as part of the package offered to their companies.
The idea of predicting a heart attack may have once seemed like science fiction, but it is rapidly becoming a reality. With the advent of advanced imaging techniques and artificial intelligence, we are now able to detect the early signs of coronary heart disease and intervene before a heart attack occurs. This represents a major shift in the way we approach cardiovascular care, moving from a reactive model to a proactive one.
Is is increasingly obvious that not everyone with raised coronary inflammation and elevated risk of heart attack simply has a raised LDL Cholesterol- in fact there appears to be a mixed bag of risk factors associated with high coronary artery inflammation, including raised LDL, raised LP (a), raised Homocysteine, hypertension and dysregulated glucose. Our metabolic health assessment is therefore designed to offer a comprehensive dive into known contributory causes, the latest and most controversial of which is 'glucose dysregulation', the principle topic of this article.
For patients who have been diagnosed with an acute coronary syndrome, requiring bypass surgery or stent, or have CT Angiography and or raised FAI, the latest European and UK guidelines reflect the finding that there is no lower limit for LDL yet discovered, basically meaning the lower the better. These recommendations come after new trials with lower targets showed better outcomes. As a result, millions of people around the world need to be looking more carefully at whether they are taking sufficient medication to lower their LDL to these new targets, for the very best outcomes to be achieved.
Ultimately, the approach to cardiac CT screening is highly individualized, reflecting the diverse presentations and risk factors among patients. By employing a sophisticated pre-consultation process, cardiologists can tailor their assessment and management plans to best suit each patient's unique needs, enhancing the precision and effectiveness of cardiac care.
There are two main reasons left atrial thrombus forms then detaches to cause embolic stroke. The first is that during atrial fibrillation or flutter, a thrombus may develop in the left atrial appendage, which does not move as much as it does when in sinus rhythm. The likelihood of this occurring in any given year is low, correlated to the CHA2DS2-VASc score. The second reason is not related to CHA2DS2-VASc score
Lp(a) testing is advised for individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease, including those with a prior stent or bypass operation, coronary syndrome or heart attack as well as anyone with a family history of coronary heart disease, high FAI (coronary inflammation) or high risk patterns on Cardiac CT angiograms. In our practice, Lp (a) is offered as part of our comprehensive Metabolic Health assessment (MHA1).
By Juliette Martin, Nutritional Therapist: Over the past year, a family of medications called GLP-1 agonists, often referred to as the ‘skinny jab’ has captured widespread media attention.
This article will outline our individualised approach that includes early identification of those at risk, coupled with tailored preventive strategies, based on four principles: