Medicine

Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute offers free vascular screening

Many of the most crippling and lethal vascular complications can be effectively prevented and cured with early detection, diagnosis and treatment. Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute will offer free vascular screenings for qualified individuals from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at the Heart and Vascular Institute office in the Hillside Medical Center in Hanover. To qualify for the screening, participants must be 65 or older, or age 55 to 65 and have a history of high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking or a family history of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

During the screening, registered vascular technologists will complete a vascular report card for each patient. Before each patient leaves, he or she will have an opportunity to discuss the report card with a vascular surgeon.

While heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, vascular diseases outside the heart – such as carotid artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms and peripheral artery disease – can lead to stroke, difficulty walking and life threatening rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

The screenings will include carotid artery duplex to evaluate for carotid artery disease and ankle/brachial index measurements to evaluate for peripheral arterial disease.

Although the screening is free-of-charge, registration is required and limited. To register, call 1-800-243-1455.

Last Updated August 6, 2014