Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Spain, representing 26.4% of the total number of deaths in 2021, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). By type of cardiac pathology, ischemic heart disease or coronary heart disease, which can manifest itself in the form of myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke or cerebrovascular accident, is the one with the highest rate of affected people, with a total of 28,852 deaths annually. , according to the INE.
CreuBlanca offers excellent medical care focused on the prevention and early diagnosis of cardiovascular pathologies. It has a Cardiology Unit made up of a multidisciplinary team of professionals, specialized and coordinated in different care areas: Clinical Cardiology, Sports Cardiology, Hemodynamics, Electrophysiology and Cardiac Imaging. The CreuBlanca Cardiology Unit has the most advanced technology for the early detection of cardiovascular risk factors, even before symptoms appear, preventing them from leading to serious complications in the future and allowing a more precise and individualized diagnosis of multiple cardiovascular pathologies (cardiomyopathies, heart failure, coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, etc.).
The Imaging Diagnostic Area of ??the CreuBlanca Cardiology Unit not only observes and interprets the image of the heart, but also analyzes its functioning and anatomy, since, currently, the important thing is not only to identify or diagnose the disease. , but to provide adequate follow-up to offer the best possible treatment and result. It has a team of 15 cardiologists experts in diagnostic imaging techniques who perform and supervise the performance of diagnostic studies. Thus, at CreuBlanca they are pioneers in the use of the most advanced technology for the most precise diagnosis of cardiac pathologies and their treatment.
At CreuBlanca, tests for the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of cardiovascular pathologies are carried out in a space reserved exclusively for this, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment ranging from the traditional electrocardiogram, cardiac Doppler, calcium score, stress tests or ergometry, tilt test, coronary angioplasty, stent placement, pacemakers and catheterizations, even cardiac CT or virtual coronary angiography, cardio-magnetic resonance imaging and coronary PET-CT. Every year CreuBlanca performs more than 3,000 cardiac CT scans and 3,800 cardio-MRIs. Let’s take a closer look at some of this equipment and tests.
Obtaining quality cardiac images in the shortest possible time has been a real challenge in the last decade, since it is an organ in continuous movement. In this sense, CreuBlanca has invested in state-of-the-art equipment with deep learning technology, an artificial intelligence (AI) technique that integrates new sequences that allow high-resolution images of the heart to be obtained with very short acquisition times, freezing the heart in snapshots of each of the phases of your cycle.
The speed at which the Cardio-MR test is performed allows for free-breathing studies (without apnea), with the consequent comfort that this entails for the patient, especially reducing the feeling of fatigue in patients with heart or respiratory failure. This ensures a more accurate interpretation of structural cardiac abnormalities, ventricular function, and myocardial perfusion through the coronary arteries.
CreuBlanca has state-of-the-art cardiac CT equipment that allows for the early diagnosis of coronary atheromatosis, a pathology characterized by the accumulation of plaques inside the arteries and one of the main causes of myocardial infarction. Specifically, CreuBlanca has a new 640-slice multidetector device with spectral technology that offers the possibility of obtaining 4D images of the heart in a fraction of a second, reducing the radiation dose by up to 50% and administering up to 40% less volume of contrast. In this sense, the speed at which the cardiac CT test is performed is essential to prevent cardiac motion artifact, that is, so that the patient can maintain breathing and avoid distorting the image due to any respiratory movement.
Furthermore, the high image resolution makes it possible to clearly analyze structures as fine and uneven in course as the coronary arteries. Unlike interventional coronary angiography or coronary angiography, virtual coronary angiography or cardiac CT is a non-invasive test, since it does not require the insertion of catheters through the arteries to access the heart, which is much more comfortable, safer and generates less nervousness for the patient.
CreuBlanca has a state-of-the-art hybrid coronary PET-CT system that, in addition to offering images of cardiac anatomy and function, allows obtaining metabolic information and data on coronary flow and cellular metabolism of the heart.
