Thursday, 14 November 2013

Technology at its Best: Saving Lives

If you had a chance to know beforehand that you or someone you loved were going to have a heart attack, would you take it? What if I told you that this possibility does exist, would you believe me?
Well guess what... is does, a new way of scanning the heart can identify those who may be at high risk of a heart attack, early tests suggest.
This test is aimed at identifying dangerous plaque buildup in the arteries of your heart. According to BBC News article scientists at the University of Edinburgh believe that such a tool can be very instrumental for predicting a heart attack and would make a huge to different for patients.
Doctors will use a radioactive tracer that can identify active and dangerous plaques, to generate high resolution images of the heart and blood vessels, which will present them with a precise picture of the heart and the danger zones.
This technology is not relatively new however, as it is already being used to detect tumours in cancer patients.
In case you’re wondering if it works, forty patients have already been tested and danger spots in the heart have been identified. The scan highlighted the plaque which caused the heart attack in 37 of the patients according to a study published by the Lancet Medical Journal.
Although this test/scan provides new hope for medical professionals and patients with heart problems more tests are required to see if this early detection  of dangerous plaques actually has the potential save lives. What Doctors are planning to so at least are, treat and stabilize the plaques, which may be able to prevent heart attacks and stop people dying. Of course this would include drugs like statins or aspirin, drastic lifestyle change or even inserting stents into the arteries to keep them open.

                            The scan shows a cross-section of the heart and the high risk plaque in orange

Personally, I think that if this test is available to me I will definitely take it and encourage anyone else to, because come on we have to face the fact that we don’t really eat all the right things, and we only try to prevent a heart attack after the first had already happened.
I am PRO-LIFE so I always applaud scientists for incorporating technology into medicine. Anything, even the simplest that can be done to save a life should be, so this idea gets two thumbs up from me I believe that it will indeed make a “massive difference” in the life of those who suffer will heart disease and other heart related problems.
What about you would you avail yourself to this test? 
The key thing to remember here is that is can save your life, and if you love living then...Let you actions speak for themselves...

Let me know !

3 comments:

  1. Opinions should be shared regardless of, so pardon me for thinking that this is just a closer step to Man becoming invincible or immune to death (so to speak). I think its a great invention but, I question its accuracy. I'm also wondering if something like this wasn't already discovered, many years ago.

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  2. They have used a similar technology to detect tumors in cancer patients, I believe this is a new research not sure if it has been done before. As to its accuracy it's still in testing stages. On another note, are you saying that men as we are, that is prone to sickness etc, should give in to it and not even try to survive. If so then I think that we as human being respect life we would try our utmost best to cherish it, of course there is the inevitable fact that the only thing we were promised at birth is death, but at the same time I am not of the opinion that we should sit and wait and just give in to death without the slimmest fight. I think that this invention old or new is offering people a chance to fight, and that in itself is very commendable. As you rightfully said opinions should be shared..regardless..

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  3. Technology + Medical = TTU (two thumbs up) from me as well

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