Cac 2017

I assume you are getting an angiogram next? And have been prescribed a statin and advised to modify your diet?

Yes already on meds then angiogram in a couple of days. Guess I’ll have to wait for whatever is next, stint perhaps?? Thank you for your response!

The angiogram is helpful, but you might be asked to submit to an MRI, and if the blocked artery is not especially dangerous, to a stress test on a treadmill with CT scan and contrast dye. I had both the MRI and the MIBI stress test first, and then the electrophysiologist wanted an angiogram before he'd even meet with me. The MIBI was awful recovering through a mask while I gasped and thought I would surely pass out. But all they found was a short run of SVT at the point where they decided they had seen enough. The MRI, never heard a thing. Angiogram two weeks later, as the gentleman surgeon removed the catheter from the hole in my wrist, he leaned over and said to me, 'Minor deposits. You're good.'

Often a Doppler ultrasound of the carotid arteries will help to determine if there is significant blockage in those two arteries. They branch just below the ears, and one of the branches might be blocked, or both. Happened to my dad...100% blocked on the right carotid, 90% on the left.

A high score like yours is cause for concern, and you will be strongly encouraged to take tests, imaging, and to take some medication such as a statin. Some abide statins well, some do poorly on them. So, keep an open mind, and if you don't experience anything untoward, good for you. If you feel unwell, lack strength, develop muscle aches, then tell you physician. Note that you would be strongly advised to supplement with Co-enzyme Q10 or CoQ10 because statins prevent you from making your own supply, which people's bodies do. It's very important for muscle function, especially the heart muscles. You might wish to read up on that issue first, and also ask your doctor.

A bypass or stent will only happen if the occlusion is severe and likely to close off inside of a year or two. Depends on the amount of obstruction IOW.

The one artery, besides the carotids, that you don't want to be blocked is the 'left anterior descending' which wraps around the front of the heart on the left side.

The stress test came back with a small possible ischemic on the interferoal wall, is that part of the left coronary artery?

Basic health? Family history? Overweight? Cholesterol numbers? Any indication of symptoms?

Statins
Advanced lipids panel
Stress with echo
Angiogram

Targets
- LDL 50 or lower
- Truglycerides 50 or lower
- Total cholesterol 100 or lower
- HDL as high as reasonable

MESA calculator - https://www.mesa-nhlbi.org/calcium/input.aspx

I'm not familiar with that term as you spell it...interferoal. I looked it up, but found no hits that explained the term. Lots of sites and articles explaining the terminology used and accepted by the world of electrophysiologists and cardiologists, but not that word. Sorry...

Maybe inferior wall?

It would be 'posterior' or 'anterior'....but we'll have to wait for the asker to get back to us.

Last year I had to see a cardiologist for the first time about PVCs I was having during a surgical procedure. He ran all the test came back and said that I had a mild case of a fib and a 40% blockage where my LAD Artery connects to the D1 artery. He suggested a blood thinner and beta blocker, which I only took for a few days and stopped due to simply the way I was feeling. Probably not very smart! On my next visit to the cardiologist, he suggested a CAC test and my score was 2000. Of course I panicked and made a call to the Cardiologist and surprisingly he said not to worry that he had patients with score is the highest 5600 and simply left it at that. Fast forward to this year during an annual check up the 30 day monitor showed that I had at least a 20 minute segment of Afib apparently during the night while I was asleep, which I don’t remember. In my visit to him also, he pointed out that I had a left bundle branch block in my heart also called LBBB. So this precipitated another round of full testing I went through the stress test, EKG and echo cardiogram without any problems. But because of the 20 minute a fib episode, he’s putting me on a beta blocker and blood thinner. I’m dieting and losing weight. I’ve given up alcohol and I’ve limited my caffeine. Actually I feel pretty good and I’m exercising so looking for a long life - 72 now. It’s easy to stress yourself out over the calcium score Afib, blockages and other things but listen to your PCP and your cardiologist and live each day one at a time. Blessings to you.

Thanks very much for posting this. I am by no means an expert on CAC (don't even know what my own is!!), but I try to allay the fears of those who come here and appear to be somewhat desperate for answers and who are quite obviously fearful. The CAC is just a snapshot of current deposition...it AIN'T a death sentence!!! It is like the Heisinger Uncertainty Principle where, in quantum mechanics, there are two important pieces of information about an atomic particle: its direction and what it looks like, or its features. You can measure one aspect, but you destroy all information about the other aspect in measuring the one. It's the same with CAC..you get a great picture of where it is and how much, but you lose any information about its directionality...which way it is moving, up or down. So, treat the CAC score as just one important piece of information, but it doesn't tell you everything you, or your cardiologist, needs to know.