Doctor Warrick
FIND OUT MORE AT www.virtualheartscan.com
Holly: Nearly 20,000 Australians die of heart disease every year, yet early detection has largely failed us until the Healthy Heart Network developed the virtual heart scan. We have a leading cardiologist, Dr. Warrick Bishop here for more on this doctor. Lovely to have your time today. Now tell us about this virtual heart.
Dr Warrick: Hi, Holly, and thank you for the opportunity to share today. Look along the short of it is we've been compounded for a long time, trying to identify people who are at risk of heart attack, and you would know, and the people listening and watching this would know of people who seemingly out of the blue had an event.
We can, and we do have the technology to allow us to scan an image, those arteries, and what I've done with my coworkers is put together an internet based platform to allow individual. That's appropriate for them to utilize that technology. And if so, go through a consultation on the internet in their own time without having to see their GP or a specialist get referred for one of these scans in anywhere in Australia.
Holly: Wow. That is remarkable. And we know heart attacks are one of the biggest killers in Australia. A heart attacks preventable, do you think?
Dr Warrick: I truly believe they are, but the only way we can prevent them, Holly, as if we know they are there. That's why we really made an effort to put this together. We know it's an Australian first and we believe it's potentially a world first allowing people to ask the question.
Could I be at risk, go through an appropriate process without even having to leave their home without having to find, um, car parks, see the doctor and then be referred for this scan, which can then give us great insight into what's going on in that person's arteries. If we find problems, we can put strategies in place to save lives.
Holly: It's about being proactive. Isn't it? This is actually it's so, so amazing. The work that you're doing, who would you say is considered a low risk and who is high risk?
Dr Warrick: Luckily, sometimes it's really hard to be clear that we talk about, uh, low risk zones, uh, green, if you like, uh, intermediate risk gray and high risk red and age is probably one of the major drivers.
So as we see men moving into about a 50 year old age bracket and women moving into approximately a 60 year old age, I stopped falling to a gray area. If you like where imaging the arteries may give us better information, but sometimes we see low risk patients who are young, otherwise fit and healthy who may have a bad family history or rise cholesterol.
I might also benefit from being more precise about what's going on.
Holly: It's just so good to have these conversations. Isn't it an about educating people that the option is there for them? Um, now, traditionally, this is quite disturbing. A lot of heart attacks happen over the Christmas and holiday period. Why is that?
Dr Warrick: Um, I think people maybe are indulging in, in the sort of activities that, uh, particularly foods, particularly alcohol that they're not used to. And some of the, uh, if you like inflammatory impact of these foods, uh, in excess probably drive people to a different physical stressors, which could, uh, trigger a vulnerability.
The whole process of what we've set up with this virtual heart scan consultation though, is to start to reeducate people. And instead of reacting to heart related problems, we wanting people to be proactive. Think about your car, you take it to get serviced while it's running well. Um, so we want to see people doing maintenance, uh, cardiology, not towed truck mentality.
Holly: Oh, good on you, Dr. Warrick, Bishop. Thank you so much for joining us on this such an important discussion.
Dr Warrick: All it's a pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity to share.
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Doctor Warrick Bishop is a practicing cardiologist, best selling author, and keynote speaker and who has a passion to help prevent heart disease on a global scale.
What if you could plan NOT to have a heart attack?
Dr Warrick Bishop, a widely renowned practicing cardiologist, is on a mission to help patients do just that. He’s spoken on TEDx stages and sat on countless interviews, including 60 Minutes and ABC Radio, delivering eye-opening insights that have enabled patients to have meaningful conversations about their heart health with their doctors and valuable information on life-changing technological advancements that could impact patients’ health.
By using both advocacy and the latest in emerging technologies for earlier detection and assessment of those at risk for heart attack. If you or someone you know is near the age of 40, have a family history of heart attacks, or are worried about a heart attack then you should read this book… It just may save your life or the life of somebody you love.
Author Doctor Warrick Bishop is a three-time #1 International Best Selling Author and Cardiologist with a special interest in cardiovascular disease prevention incorporating imaging, lipids, and lifestyle.
Graduating from the University of Tasmania, School of Medicine, in 1988. He worked in the Northern Territory and South Australia before completing his advanced training in cardiology in Hobart, Tasmania, becoming a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians and Member of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand in 1997. Working predominately in private practice. In 2009 Warrick undertook training in CT Cardiac Coronary Angiography, being the first cardiologist in Tasmania with this specialist recognition.
Doctor Warrick Bishop shares his unique perspective on using non-invasive imaging technology and provides a concise plan in preventing a heart attack.
