St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC) has launched an innovative non-invasive mobile screening program to offer consumers important information about their vascular health and risk of heart disease or stroke.

The AngioScreen® mobile program provides information about heart rhythm, neck and leg arteries, blood pressure and fitness. The information is compared to normal levels for the participant’s age group. Immediately following the 15-minute screening, participants receive an instant color-printed report and digital record, educational materials and a non-diagnostic consultation. The mobile unit is facilitated by a team of experienced healthcare professionals and equipped with the latest imaging technologies.

This program is available throughout the greater Houston area and is provided inside a mobile unit available for scheduling by corporations, health fairs and organizations. Additionally, because the equipment is portable, the system can be moved to an interior setting, such as a conference room.

“Vascular disease is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke. Most people don’t realize that every 30 seconds an American has a heart attack,” said Sheila Coogan, M.D., the program’s medical director and a vascular surgeon at SJMC. “Participants can take the integrated vascular information provided by our team to a physician so that a preventive action plan can be discussed.”

Becky Childers, RN and director of the mobile AngioScreen® program said the goal of the program is to empower people with information to discuss with their physician to help lower their risk of a heart attack or stroke.

“Participants will see if they have healthy carotid arteries, or if there is some degree of blockage narrowing the flow of blood to the brain and heart,” said Childers. “We also provide information regarding blood pressure, pulse rate, heart rhythm, body mass index and ankle brachial index, which tests for risk of peripheral arterial disease.”

Childers explained that the carotid arteries carry blood to the brain and narrowing of the artery increases risk of stroke. Thickening of the inner lining of the carotid arteries, which is how plaque begins, is correlated with blockages of the heart’s arteries.

“Studying the carotid arteries gives information about the heart’s circulation and 15 percent of all strokes occur because plaque is in a carotid artery,” added Childers. “It is important to note that AngioScreen® is not a substitute for medical care by a qualified physician and our consultation does not take the place of discussing heart health with a physician; however the screening does provide an excellent base of information that everyone should have about the condition of their vascular system.”

For more information and scheduling the SJMC AngioScreen® mobile unit, please call 713-757-7575.