New Noninvasive Cardiology Testing Procedure Offered at Piedmont Cartersville

 

Cartersville — Piedmont Cartersville Medical Center now offers Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA), also known as cardiac CT angiogram. 
 

Providing detailed pictures of the heart and the blood vessels with CT angiography, a contrast dye is used to make the blood vessels easier to see any narrowing or blockages within the vessels, looking at the heart and the area around the heart. The procedure may be ordered to help find the cause of chest pains or other symptoms of heart disease. During a CT angiogram, the contrast dye is injected into the blood stream. A CT scanner then takes detailed pictures of the heart and the surrounding area. 
 

A CCTA allows the health care provider to see how well blood is flowing to and from the heart. The health care provider will be able to see if there are any problems, such as: 

 

“With cardiovascular disease being the single leading cause of death in Georgia, it’s important that we offer local access and convenience for CCTA,” said Lori Rakes, CEO at Piedmont Cartersville. “When we have the opportunity to diagnose cardiovascular issues early, there’s a much better chance for positive patient outcomes.” 
 

CCTA provides the cardiologist with another noninvasive way to evaluate the coronary arteries. Other noninvasive cardiology procedures include treadmill stress tests, nuclear medicine stress tests and stress echocardiography. A CCTA may be used in conjunction with these tests or in lieu of these tests to help best evaluate the patient’s coronary arteries. 
 

A CCTA may reveal the need for further evaluation of the patient’s coronary arteries with a more invasive procedure, such as cardiac catheterization. 
 

A physician order is required for CCTA and patients should be evaluated to determine if CCTA is appropriate. Your cardiologist can determine if you’re a candidate for CCTA and schedule the procedure at Piedmont Cartersville.

 

Piedmont is empowering Georgians by changing health care. We continue to fuel Georgia’s growth through safe, high-quality care close to home through an integrated health care system that provides a hassle-free, unified experience. We are a private, not-for-profit organization with more than 12,000 donors annually that for centuries has sought to make a positive difference in every life we touch in the communities we serve. Across our 1,755 physical locations we care for more than 4 million patients and serve communities that comprise 85 percent of Georgia’s population. This includes 25 hospitals, 72 Piedmont Urgent Care centers, 25 QuickCare locations, 1,875 Piedmont Clinic physician practices and nearly 3,200 Piedmont Clinic members. Our patients conveniently engage with Piedmont online, as they scheduled more than 612,000 online appointments and over 163,000 virtual visits. With more than 47,000 care givers we are the largest Georgia-based private employer of Georgians, who all came for the job, but stayed for the people. In 2024 and 2023, Piedmont has earned recognition from Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and also as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women. In 2022, Forbes ranked Piedmont on its list of the Best Large Employers in the United States. In addition, Piedmont provided nearly $390 million in community benefit programming and uncompensated care in Fiscal Year 2023.
 

For more information, or booking your next appointment, visit piedmont.org.