The majority of heart attacks and strokes occur with blockages that are less than 50%. Many advanced cardiology tests will miss this or even ignore these dangerous blockages. Now you can determine your FIVE year risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The majority of heart attacks occur with these small blockages so what can you do.
Do this for your loved ones. Do this for yourself this inexpensive blood test can save your life. Our PULS Cardiac Test is a great place to start and can also be added to our assessments. Please contact us today to book your vital PULS Cardiac Test.
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Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the number one cause of death and disability in both men and women.1 It is caused by a buildup of a waxy substance called plaque inside the major blood vessels of the heart. This plaque builds up over many years and may lead to the narrowing of blood vessels which limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. Plaque sometimes ruptures, forming a blood clot that can completely block the flow of blood causing a heart attack. If this blockage continues for too long, the oxygen starved part of the heart might be permanently damaged. Most heart attacks are caused by blockages that come from soft plaque that breaks open suddenly. This soft plaque may not have ever been large enough to cause any noticeable symptoms or positive cardiac exercise stress tests. Consequently, there may be no warning signs of a heart attack before it happens.
The PULS Cardiac Test is a blood test designed to help identify people who appear healthy but may have active heart disease which could result in a heart attack. This test detects the early stages of heart disease by recognizing blood vessel injury and unstable plaque formation, even in patients who otherwise have no signs or symptoms. The PULS Cardiac Test measures protein markers in the blood that are linked to unstable plaque to see if a heart attack may be likely in the next five years.2
Traditional risk calculators rely on established risk factors to predict your likelihood for developing heart disease. However, these calculators may underestimate your risk.3,4 Sadly, half of severe heart attacks occur in adults with no – or just one – risk factor.5 The PULS Cardiac Test adds to these risk factors by also looking at markers of unstable plaque.2 This empowers your health care provider with information to better estimate your risk and manage your care.
While it is important to see your cardiologist, the tests that they provide are designed to see if you have a blockage in your artery that is significant enough to require either a heart stent or surgery. The PULS Cardiac Test differs from this as it allows you to understand your risk for a vulnerable plaque rupture, and more importantly allow us to help you reverse your disease risk. The best heart attack is the one that never happens.
Cardiac exercise stress tests can miss these dangerous blockages. That is where the PULS Cardiac Test can give you peace of mind or allow you to prevent a dangerous event.
When a large blood vessel is injured, your body responds by having the immune system work to repair the damage. Ongoing damage to the blood vessel can keep the immune system working in a way that leads to the unstable plaque that can cause a heart attack. The PULS Cardiac Test measures protein biomarkers that are involved in this damaging process.
Having your PULS Score checked can help you find out if you may be at a higher risk for a heart attack in the next five years. If we told you there was an accident on the way home, you would take a different route. Heart disease is the #1 preventable disease.
Your PULS Score should be checked if you have one or more risk factors for coronary heart disease. This includes – but is not limited to – a family history of early heart disease, a poor diet/lifestyle, elevated LDL cholesterol, high blood sugar or diabetes, high blood pressure, you are overweight or obese, or exposed to toxins.
The PULS Cardiac Test is a blood test. You do not need to fast for this test.
Focus on reducing risk factors. You can do this by:
PULS (Protein Unstable Lesion Signature) Cardiac Test is the only test that can
reveal your risk of vulnerable plaque ruptures.
THE MAJORITY OF HEART ATTACKS OR STROKES OCCUR WITH BLOCKAGES THAT ARE LESS THAN 50%
THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE HEART ATTACKS OR STROKES HAVE NORMAL CHOLESTEROL
Heart Disease remains the number one killer in Canada. It’s time we do more to assess risk. Cholesterol lowering medications alone is not enough and may not be right for everyone. Many patients are leaving their doctors office with a false sense of hope if a blockage is not detected when they may be on the path of a heart attack or stroke.
YOU ONLY HAVE ONE HEART!
References 1. CDC, NCHS. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2013 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released 2015. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2013, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed Feb. 3, 2015. 2. Cross DS et al. Coronary risk assessment among intermediate risk patients using a clinical and biomarker based algorithm developed and validated in two population cohorts. Curr Med Res Opin. 2012; 28: 1819-1830. 3. Greenland P et al. Major risk factors as antecedents of fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease events. JAMA. 2003; 290: 891-897. 4. Khot UN et al. Prevalence of conventional risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease. JAMA. 2003; 290: 898-904. 5. Sachdeva A et al. Lipid levels in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease: an analysis of 136,905 hospitalizations in Get With The Guidelines. Am Heart J. 2009; 157: 111-117