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Life Line Screening Returns To Borger |
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Tuesday, November 25 2008 |
By Brooke Huff
Reporter
According to lifelinescreening.com, a stroke results from the disruption of adequate blood flow to the brain. It is the leading cause of death and permanent disability.
To help area residents learn more about the causes of stroke, and to help them better prevent it, Frank Phillips College will be sponsoring Life Line Screening. Scheduled for Monday, Dec. 1, 2008, in the Access and Innovation Building, members of the community can stop by to be screened for stroke risk factors. These screenings use Doppler color flow ultrasound technology to create images of the carotid arteries and measure the amount of blood flow through these vessels. The amount of plaque buildup and the speed of the blood flow are then reported for the patient to monitor.
The procedure is fast, painless, and noninvasive. Upon arrival, participants will be asked to lie down on their back on the exam table. A technologist will then apply gel to the neck and move an instrument called a transducer around on the neck to create images of the carotid arteries. This will assess the rate of blood flow within the arteries.
The purpose of these screenings, lifelinescreening.com said, is to provide health knowledge to help people lead healthier, fuller lives. Life Line Screening often partners with doctors to help detect health problems in an effective way to help improve the quality of life. They also offer free and valuable educational resources at the screenings. The community-based screening events are staffed by highly-trained healthcare professionals dedicated to offering affordable, reliable preventive screenings, and take place in neighborhoods all over the United States.
Services offered by Life Line Screening includes screenings for stroke/carotid artery disease, stroke/atrial fibrillation, heart disease risk, elevated C-reactive protein, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease, and osteoporosis risk. They use three different methods, including ultrasound screening, finger-stick blood screenings, and electrocardiograph (EKG), to get results. Patients usually receive results within 21 days of the screening.
Life Line Screenings are open to anyone 50 years of age and older, or 40 years of age and older who have risk factors for stroke, carotid artery disease, or atrial fibrillation, known as irregular heartbeat. The duration of screenings, lifelinescreening.com said, should be a personal decision based on risk factors and previous screening results. Also, stroke risk results will be more accurate if people screen for both carotid artery disease and atrial fibrillation at the same time.
To prepare for a screening, participants should wear a shirt that is open at the collar and short-sleeved. Also they should not wear turtlenecks because that will make it more difficult to screen the neck area.
Screening costs vary by location, but Life Line Screening offers complete, comprehensive screening packages starting at $139.
Preregistration for Monday’s event is required by calling 1-800-364-0457.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, December 02 2008 )
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