During American Heart Month, consider scheduling a cardiovascular screening if you fall within the recommended age range. A painless and non-invasive screening can help adults understand their heart disease risk, and in rare cases, alert you to a serious condition that requires urgent intervention. Avera screens between 4,000 and 5,000 people a year across 25 Planet Heart locations in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota. Planet Heart follows American College of Cardiology guidelines in recommending heart and vascular screenings for men beginning at age 40 and women beginning at age 45. Frequency depends on risk factors, but for most people, the recommendation is every five to 10 years. Planet Heart is designed to find cardiovascular disease risk, stroke risk, vascular aneurysm or peripheral arterial disease. The cost of Planet Heart is not run through insurance, however some Avera Health Plans insurance products cover Planet Heart as a free wellness benefit. People can also often use their flex dollars to cover this screening. Yet the $125 cost for both heart, vascular and thoracic screenings is affordable. Avera sells gift certificates for Planet Heart screenings that can be a gift to a loved one or a perk for employees. The combined screening includes blood tests for glucose and cholesterol, blood pressure, CT calcium scoring, vascular ultrasounds and lung/abdominal screening. A high CT calcium score which detects calcium deposits in coronary arteries can assess risk for cardiovascular disease. There’s also opportunity to get a polygenic risk score for cardiovascular disease. An important aspect of the screening is discussion with the nurse about risk factors. Primary care is the most common follow-up for patients. In the case of an abnormal finding, patients may be referred to a specialist, such as a cardiologist, interventional/structural cardiologist, cardiovascular surgeon or vascular/endovascular surgeon. A patient may need further testing, medications, or in some cases a cardiac catheterization lab intervention. Mick Gibbs.Courtesy photo. “Think of it like the dashboard on your car. During the screening, your body’s check engine light may appear, and our experts help you understand what’s urgent,” said Mick Gibbs, CEO of Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls. “Planet Heart has saved lives. Yet most people walk away from a Planet Heart screening with peace of mind or a recommendation to modify lifestyle factors like diet and exercise.” Go to Avera.org/PlanetHeart for more information on cardiovascular screenings and locations. ...read more read less