Prairie Heart Institute at St. Anthony’s helps community residents become heart healthy
 Cary Storm, Ultrasound Section Specialist (right), Prairie Heart Institute at St. Anthony’s, conducts an ankle brachial index (ABI) screening on a visitor to the Heart Fair. An ABI screening detects for signs of peripheral vascular disease.
Area residents learned about lowering their risks for heart disease at Prairie Heart Institute at St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital’s Heart Fair held February 20. The Heart Fair was held at Prairie Heart Institute at St. Anthony’s.
Those who attended the Heart Fair were able to get their blood pressure, blood glucose and total blood cholesterol checked. A number of attendees had free vascular screenings. The screenings, scheduled by appointment, included a carotid artery screening and an ankle brachial index screening.
The carotid artery screening is a simple painless test that uses high-frequency sound waves to view the carotid arteries. It looks for plaque and helps determine whether the arteries are narrowed or blocked, indicators of carotid artery disease.
The Ankle Brachial Index screening compares the blood pressure in the arm (brachial pressure) with the blood pressure in the legs. The blood pressure is taken in both arms and both ankles. In a person with healthy blood vessels, the pressure should be higher in the legs than in the arms. If it is not, that could be an indication of peripheral artery disease.
Attendees also visited educational booths with information about Prairie Heart at St. Anthony’s services such as cardiac catheterization, sleep studies, and heart scans.
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