American Heart Month: Baptist Health Advanced Heart Check offers inside look at heart health

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - February is American Heart Month, a time to get our attention focused on our heart health.

Heart disease is sometimes thought of as a man’s disease, but it kills almost as many women each year in the United States. Heart disease is the number one killer of women.

So, in a proactive step, WSFA 12 News reporter Bethany Davis took a deep dive into her own heart and went through the Advanced Heart Check offered at Baptist Hospital. The Advanced Heart Check is a CT scan that provides 3D views of the heart’s inner workings and allows radiologists and cardiologists to see inside and see right away if there are any areas of concern.

“It takes a picture from the very top of your lungs, basically lower neck just above the clavicle heads, all the way through the bottom of your lungs which includes just the top of the kidneys,” radiologist Dr. Terry Williams explained while reading Bethany’s scan. “I look at the chest wall, and that’s normal, and then I just keep going and looking down through the upper abdomen, these are your kidneys, that’s a portion of your liver, and just looking for anything abnormal, and I don’t see anything.”

The Advanced Heart Check is especially recommended for those with heart disease risk factors, like family history, obesity, stressed lifestyle, or a history of smoking or diabetes.

The cost is $99 through February. Learn more at https://baptisthearthealth.com/

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