Physicians at Mercy Hospital Fairfield and Mercy Hospital Anderson are now using the latest non-invasive scanner technology, the 64-Slice CT, to recognize and detect cardiac disease. This new scanner is being utilized to evaluate the presence and severity of cardiac disease before symptoms begin and for patients with atypical chest pain.

Physicians, technologists and nurses have received extensive training using the new scanning technology to diagnose heart disease. Manufactured by General Electric (GE), the scanner is capable of dividing images into 64 slices resulting in dramatically reduced acquisition times, improved image quality and allowing new diagnostic possibilities.Using the new scanner will allow physicians to look inside a patient's heart and arteries for potentially life-threatening blockages with a high degree of accuracy. The new scanner uses a technology with less risk of complications and lower levels of radiation than traditional heart catheterization for patients with an immediate risk of coronary disease.

The new scanner can perform a complete coronary artery angiogram in just five heartbeats--allowing physicians to quickly evaluate causes of atypical chest pain - aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism and coronary artery disease.

Who is a candidate for Coronary CT Angiography?

• Patients with symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath.
• Patients without symptoms but with risk factors for heart disease such as a strong family history of heart disease, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

In either case, patients should consult with their primary care physician to determine their individual risk of heart disease and to decide if this new heart scan is needed in their case. A physician's referral/prescription is required to have a Coronary CTA. For more information please call 95-MERCY (956-3729).

*Some insurance companies will cover the cost of the test when symptoms are present.
**Patient would pay out-of-pocket for the exam.