CT Heart Scans are Faster Than Traditional Methods

A study in Orlando has shown that CT angiography (CT scans of the heart) can cut the diagnosis time for detecting an artery blockage in half, and reduce costs by 40%. Many people come into a hospital complaining of chest pains, but not all of them are at risk of a heart attack. Between 4 and 13 percent of people that come in to en emergency room with chest pains are sent home only to have a heart attack later. These are called ‘missed attacks’, and are the source of many lawsuits against doctors in the ER.

Therefore we can easily say that these CT angiography scans are beneficial to ER doctors. Not only do they reduce costs associated with an exploratory operation, but costs associated with lawyers and lawsuits are drastically reduced. Of course, no discussion of CT scans could be complete without mentioning the high radiation levels. But with careful maintenance and proper training of staff, the risks associated with radiation can be reduced.

The only drawback is that people could be unnecessarily exposed to radiation several times if they have chest pains. This debate will continue, but as long as CT scans save lives and lower costs, it is difficult to argue against them…