Well, here’s hoping your results are less “interesting” than my foray into checking something out at my own expense…for reasons absolutely not related to insurance coverage.
The Coronary Artery Calcium scan was not a covered service when I was considering it a few months back. It’s not experimental or anything or even particularly expensive. I rather suspect that more widespread utilisation would uncover more disease than The System could handle (Sudden Cardiac Death as an initial presentation is always going to be easier/cheaper to manage, right?)
Although over the years, I’ve always been reassured that my “mildly elevated” LDL-C wasn’t a huge risk factor for me given everything else apparently in my favour but it’s always made me wonder “what if…” What ultimately gave me the nudge was this blog post (followed this guy since the early days of my Afib). I guess I assumed I’d have a similar result to the featured bloke…
I wanted to do the lab test because it could identify potentially good AND bad drug and other reactions. If the test existed 30 years ago, I would not have been given a newish drug (was given sample bottles of pills) that DID harm me. Made it through that one on my own, but (not) knowing something COULD be harmful (when the test would tell you–AND YOUR DOCTORS) lets the patient feel more comfortable about the drugs given.
My daughter has just added a CT scanner to the state of the art equipment at her specialty hospital. I told her to invest in the software and training for humans and she’d have a nice little earner there. Not as incongruous an idea as it sounds…she diagnosed both my Afib and her dad’s about-to-dissect aortic aneurysm with her portable equipment so, if all she did was keep us well away from the Grim Reaper for a few more years, it’d be worth it.
Well for my Afib, she used a portable AliveCor Kardia Mobile device. Quite a few of the wearables around now also have similar technology integrated, so that’s not really new technology any longer. Periodically, hooked me up to a Holter monitor too. That’s all in the past, I hope.
With her dad, she brought the regular echo machine that she used for her mobile practice round. “Portable” is a relative term, mind as the whole device weighs over 60lbs.
It’s not veterinary specific equipment, though…the same as you’d find in any well equipped cardiology unit. The Holter monitors get used differently on critters though and I designed some modifications to a snug fitting Thundershirt vest so it can be worn for as long as necessary without it getting chewed up.
Merck KGA (German Merck) announces alliance to develop additional monoclonal antibody systems to fight cancer. For the drug industry monoclonal antibodies seem to be the source of the newest medications. Many with remarkable results against cancer et al but at very high prices.
“used to develop drugs known as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), the company said.
ADCs combine a tumor-seeking monoclonal antibody with a cell-killing chemotherapy payload, designed for a targeted destructive effect that, unlike conventional chemotherapy, spares healthy cells.”
