Community

Wheeling Hospital Offers Free Screenings for Vascular Disease

Wheeling Hospital is launching a program to provide area adults with free screenings for common vascular diseases.

"To be blunt, cardiovascular disease is rampant in the Ohio Valley," said Dr. John Klay, a cardiovascular surgeon and director of Wheeling Hospital's vascular laboratories.

The program is part of the hospital's new "Dare to CARE" initiative. CARE is an acronym for carotid artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, renal artery stenosis and extremity artery disease/peripheral arterial disease.

The screenings will be performed in Tower 4, suite 402, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each Tuesday, beginning Nov. 7. To make an appointment, call 304-243-8362.

Klay anticipates 2,000 patients will be screened in the first year. He said the broad-based, community outreach program has been established through a collaborative arrangement between Wheeling Hospital and Medtronic Corp.

Primary care physicians may recommend patients for screening or people can apply directly to the program, he said. Written results will be sent to patients and their doctors.

"With cardiovascular disease being the No. 1 health issue in the U.S. today, we know that a substantial number of adults living in our area are at risk for complications from vascular issues that may currently go undetected," Klay said. "We are asking any adult who is older than 60 years of age -- or younger if other risk factors are present -- to be proactive about their overall heart health and take advantage of the free screenings."

Klay said comprehensive screenings will be offered to anyone over age 60. Those older than 50 who have risk factors such as smoking, family history, high blood pressure or high cholesterol; and people over age 40 who have diabetes also can be screened.

Chris Coffield, manager of cardiac services, said the non-invasive screenings are "very easy, very fast and relatively pain-free." The tests take 20 minutes or less to complete, he added.

"Community outreach is very important, especially with cardiovascular disease," Coffield said. "This is fantastic for residents of the Upper Ohio Valley."

Dr. Angelo Georges, chief medical officer, said, "This is a great service that we're offering. As a primary care physician, I'm glad to be offering this to my patients without charge."

Citing the value of preventive screening, Georges said vascular diseases may not present obvious symptoms, such as acute pain, before an aneurysm ruptures or other emergency occurs.

Cardiovascular disease is the nation's leading cause of death for both men and women. Carotid artery disease causes more than half of all strokes.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm, the third-leading cause of death in men over age 60, can be fatal if the aneurysm ruptures.

Extremity artery disease, which affects one in 20 men over age 50, can cause serious complications in the lower legs and can lead to limb loss.

Klay said renal artery stenosis screening, which requires preparation by patients, won't be performed initially, but will be added to the program eventually.