Futura Screening = $1.00 ASA Donation

Did you know that Futura Health Screening donates $1.00 to the American Stroke Association for each screening?

As a shared passion, this donation is used to assist the American Stroke Association’s efforts on educating the public about stroke risk factors, risk factor modification, and the warning signs of stroke.

Futura is dedicated to reducing stroke and its debilitating outcomes through early detection of carotid artery disease, the leading cause of stroke. It is estimated that 80% of strokes can be prevented though early detection, education, medical treatment and risk factor modification.

Are you at risk for stroke? Find out what you can do to prevent stroke.

Get screened!

Top 5 Reasons to Attend A PVICME CME Course!

5.  Expand your career options.

4.  Great location.  Bothell is the Jewel of the Pacific Northwest.  

3.  CME”s available  for physicians and technicians.

2.  Courses offer both lecture and hands-on with live models.

1. Classes are taught by recognized leaders in the industry using actual case studies.

Find out more information at:  http://www.pvicme.com/calendar.htm

Trading Lattes for Health

Did you know that stroke is one of the leading causes of death and the leading cause of disability in America? Did you know that most health insurance companies won’t pay for a vascular screening unless you have symptoms, yet the first symptom is usually a stroke? Hmmmm, that’s good healthcare? Welcome Futura Health Screening. They have developed a simple ultrasound stroke screening process that will let you know exactly how at-risk you are so you can correct the problem now. No, it’s not usually covered by insurance, but it will only cost about as much as you spent on lattes last month. Imagine that!

Diet Soda Tied to Stroke & Heart Attack

A recent study reports that those that drink diet soda every day were 48% more likely to have a stroke, heart attack or vascular death.

New Carotid Screening Recommendations

A screening exam that detects blocked neck arteries is recommended only for people with stroke risk factors. Are you at risk?

Futura Health Screening offers this simple and accurate low-cost ultrasound test.

A recent report states that ultrasound screening for carotid artery disease is recommended in people with no stroke signs or symptoms if they have the following:

• coronary artery disease
• peripheral arterial disease
• aortic aneurysm
• at least two of the following stroke risk factors:
  • hypertension
  • hyperlipidemia
  • smoking
  • family history of atherosclerosis manifested before age 60
  • family history of ischemic stroke

Futura has always focused on screening only high-risk populations, which is the reason we provide a pre-screening risk calculator and will ask you certain questions on family history and health factors before encouraging you to proceed with a screening.

This 2011 report came from a panel of experts such as the American Heart Association, the American Stroke Association, and the American College of Cardiology. Click here for the full report.

Joe Theismann,Football Legend; AAA story

Joe Theismann is a spokesperson for Find the AAAnwers Coalition. Their goal is to help improve the lives of those who have, and those that are at-risk for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Hear his story.

If you are at risk, call Futura Health Screening to schedule a screening. 425.398.7797 or toll free 866.486.4882

AORTIC ANEURYSM: Should You Be Screened?

Think of your aorta as the workhorse of your circulatory system. It’s your largest artery, carrying oxygen-rich blood from your heart to the rest of your body.

The walls of your aorta are very elastic and can stretch and shrink back as needed to handle blood-flow demands.

“But some health conditions can weaken your aortic wall, which can cause it to bulge outward, forming an abdominal aortic aneurysm,” says Lorena De Marco Garcia, MD, board-certified surgeon on the medical staff at Memorial. “If the weakened walls of your aorta rupture, the aneurysm can cause life-threatening bleeding inside your body.”

Risk factors: Men are more likely than women to have an aortic aneurysm. Other risk factors include:

• Hardening of the arteries
• Having a family history of aortic aneurysms
• Aging
• Smoking
• Having infections or swelling that damage the aorta or heart
• Having high blood pressure

If you have any of these risk factors, ask your doctor if you should be screened for an aortic aneurysm.

“All men between the ages of 65 and 75 who have ever smoked cigarettes should definitely be screened,” Dr. De Marco Garcia says. “Screening is a quick and painless procedure. We use an ultrasound to take a picture of your abdominal aorta, then measure it to determine if there is a bulge.”

Your options: Treatment for an aneurysm depends on its size and location. If the aneurysm is small and detected early, your doctor may recommend watchful waiting.

“If the aneurysm is large or is growing, you may need to undergo surgery to have the aneurysm removed,” Dr. De Marco Garcia says.

Medications to lower high cholesterol or blood pressure, a regular exercise program, a heart-healthy diet, and not smoking are other methods used to deal with an aneurysm.

The Memorial Institute for Heart and Vascular Health and Futura Health Screening are offering low-cost, painless screenings including carotid artery ultrasound to detect stroke-causing plaque, abdominal aortic ultrasound to detect an aneurysm, and ankle brachial index (ABI) to detect peripheral arterial disease in the legs. Screenings are $45 each or $125 for all three. Call (425) 398-7797 or (509) 249-5333 or toll free (866) 486-4882.

Published in Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital Third Age Alive Newsletter Winter 2011

Physicians Not Ordering Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening for Eligible Patients

Physicians don’t order abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening for most of qualified patients, a recent Mayo Clinic study concluded. Abdominal aortic aneurysm is a condition in which the aorta in the abdomen becomes enlarged (an aneurysm) and can rupture; a life-threatening situation. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a one-time AAA ultrasound screening in men aged 65 to 75 who have ever smoked. Patient records were reviewed over a 4-month period showing that providers ordered screening for only 12.9% of the qualified patients.

AAA screening is not often being ordered or even considered at your physician’s visit. Many physicians are concerned about managing hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and other health problems, they forget about AAA risk. Even with the fact that up to 80% of ruptured AAAs end in death, and that prior to rupture, there are no symptoms!

If you have AAA risk factors, ask your doctor for a screening. If you are a male that has smoked, or a man or a woman with a family history of AAA, Medicare will pay for a one-time AAA ultrasound screening in your first year of enrollment. If you have risk factors, but have missed the Medicare eligibility timeframe, contact a highly credentialed screening facility such as Futura Health Screening and schedule a low-cost AAA screening exam.

AAA Risk Factors: Age 60 or older Family history of AAA Smoker, past or present

Full abstract here.

First Accredited Screening Lab in Washington State

Futura Health Screening is the first and only ICAVL accredited noninvasive vascular screening program in Washington State. On December 1, 2010 Futura Health Screening attained recognition for its commitment to providing a high level of patient care and quality testing for the diagnosis of vascular disease. Futura achieved accreditation by the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories (ICAVL) in the area of screening, which includes screening for carotid artery disease, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Read more here.

PVICME Course Schedule 2011

Are you looking for new opportunities to enhance you skills and further your career in ultrasound?  If you answered yes, then you will  want to attend one or more of the upcoming PVICME spring classes.  For those just getting started, the best choice would be the Vascular Ultrasound:  A foundation to build from course.  Looking for something more specialized?  How about the Abdominal Vascular, Transcranial Doppler or Venous Insufficiency Courses?  All of the PVICME courses offer not only great lectures in the morning, but the opportunity to scan on live models both with and without pathology.  You are able practice the skills that you have learned during the morning session.  Attending one of the PVICME courses brings you the opportunity to improve patient care and acquire additional skills.  Making you a better tech and employee.  PVICME  is accredited by the ACCME for physicians and SVU for technicians.    Visit the PVICME website at www.pvicme.com and register today.  Do not miss out.