Carotid artery ultrasound is a safe, painless procedure that uses sound waves to examine the structure and function of the carotid arteries in the neck. These are the same type of sound waves that doctors use to record pictures of fetuses in pregnant women. You have two carotid arteries, one on each side of your neck. These two arteries are primarily responsible for supplying oxygen-rich blood to the brain. Any blockage or damage to these two arteries can lead to stroke and/or death. This makes testing for any problems an essential part of your overall health plan.
What is this test for?
Two of the several causes of stroke are: 1) blood clots that originate in the carotid artery wall that eventually break free and flow up to the smaller blood vessels of the brain suddenly blocking blood flow and 2) total blockage of a blood vessel, or occlusion, of the carotid artery itself, which dramatically effects blood flow to the brain on that side. In addition, the overall status of the carotid artery walls can be an indicator of the status of the cerebral (brain) vessels, where plaque (a buildup of fats, cholesterol, calcium and other substances that circulate in the bloodstream) can build up. The amount and type of carotid plaque seen is a good indicator of your stroke risk as well as carotid artery disease (CAD).
How do I know if I’m at risk?
You may be at risk for carotid artery disease (CAD) and require a carotid artery ultrasound if you have any of the following behavior and health patterns:
How do I know if I’m at risk?
Your HealthFair professional can help you to determine how often and when you should get this test. This test may be recommended if you have had a stroke or mini-stroke recently. During a mini-stroke, you may have some or all of the symptoms of a stroke. However, the symptoms usually go away on their own within 24 hours. This test may also be recommended if you have an abnormal sound in your carotid artery, called a carotid bruit. Your HealthFair professional can hear a carotid bruit by listening through a stethoscope placed on your neck over the carotid artery. A bruit may indicate blockage in your carotid artery that could lead to a stroke.
What should you expect?
Preparing for your screening is simple. We offer some helpful guidelines and our videos will help you understand what will happen so you can see that our screenings are
experiences and something to look forward to. Our technicians are friendly and professional, and our screenings are painless-- even our blood screenings, as they only require a quick finger prick. Some commonly asked questions are answered in the information below.
What should I wear?
What can I eat?
What happens during my test?
What equipment does HealthFair use?
GE Healthcare’s new Vivid i is the miniaturized cardiovascular ultrasound system to provide high-performance, full-featured imaging in a lightweight design.
Vivid i addresses one of the biggest challenges in cardiovascular care – access to complete, real-time diagnostic information. The new system expands the reach of echocardiography by offering all the functionality and high performance of full-featured premium scale systems – but in a completely portable and wireless design that weighs 30 times less.
GE developed Vivid i by miniaturizing the components of a premium echocardiography system weighing more than 180 kilograms to provide a portable system weighing less than five kilograms. Vivid i features wireless functionality, enabling physicians to transfer files instantly from the system to other physicians for consultation, or to the patient’s bedside so that they can be more informed and involved in their healthcare decisions.
MyLab30 CV
The MyLab30 CV ultrasound system is an evolutionary step in ultrasound technology. Weighing less than 19 pounds, it is the first compact ultrasound system to deliver premium console performance. And with mobile, portable or stationary configurations, MyLab30 CV can adapt to any clinical environment.
Offering portability and applicability over a wide range of clinical specialties, including anesthesiology, without compromise, MyLab30 CV implements phased array technology for cardiac imaging, linear array for vascular and small parts imaging, as well as curved array and microconvex for general imaging. The system allows for the evaluation of the heart, vasculature and organs of the body with the appropriate transducer technology and the appropriate measurement and analysis packages. The MyLab30 CV also can assist anesthesiologists in Transesophageal Echocardiography, regional nerve blocks, central line placement and other common anesthesia procedures.
Some other features found on MyLab30 CV include:
MyLab30 CV is the perfect combination of size and performance. It offers the portability and adaptability needed in today’s clinical environment without compromising the clinical performance necessary to provide the highest levels of patient care.
Congratulations! You’re ready to schedule your HealthFair screening appointment and, most importantly, you are on the road to better health. Thank you for reviewing the above information. We look forward to screening you soon!