Kevin Murray knows the importance of cardiac health firsthand. The Tampa dad nearly died from an undiagnosed heart condition and needed to undergo emergency bypass surgery in 2003. Murray, now 72, survived the experience, and he said it shaped the rest of his life.
Every year, Murray went for a cardiology check-up. In 2021, he changed doctors. His new cardiologist gave him an advanced scan called a cardiac CT. The test produces a 3-D image of the heart and arteries, allowing doctors and patients to see any problems clearly.
Murray’s test came back clear, as he’d expected. But he said it made him start thinking about his family.
His parents and grandfather had all been diagnosed with heart disease. His brother Patrick, then 67, had recently begun experiencing fatigue and breathing problems. After several conversations, Murray convinced his younger to get the scan in late 2022.
Patrick’s scan showed “significant blockages” in his arteries, Murray said. He was at high risk for a dangerous cardiac event and needed an immediate open-heart surgery. The operation resolved Patrick’s symptoms and encouraged Murray’s three other brothers
to get the same test.
Each member of the Murray family was found to have advanced heart disease. They all needed surgery.
“My brothers and I are very grateful that we could avoid a real catastrophe, which is what we were on the brink of,” Murray told CBS News.
From left to right: Michael, Larry, Kevin’s wife Linda, Patrick, Kevin and Timothy Murray in June 2023. / Credit: Kevin Murray
A “look inside the heart”
Family history of heart disease is the largest warning sign for a cardiac event, said Dr. Mark Russo, professor and chief of cardiac surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. Anyone with multiple instances of heart disease in their family tree should talk to their doctor about how to best monitor their cardiac health, he said.
The Murrays all saw the same cardiologist, Dr. Alberto Morales. He told CBS News he has used Arineta’s SpotLight cardiovascular CT scanner on about 10,000 patients, including the Murrays. The device can image the entire heart and cardiac system in seconds, Morales said. It is noninvasive and uses less radiation than a full-body CT scanner, according to Morales. Russo compared the test to a mammogram for the heart.
“It actually allows you to look inside the heart and see disease developing. We use blood pressure and cholesterol as markers, but those are risk factors. So you can have high blood pressure, you can have high cholesterol, but that doesn’t necessarily define the presence or absence of disease,” Russo said. “With the cardiac CT and using a calcium score, you can actually look and see the disease developing in the heart, and allows you to detect it at a much earlier stage than most other tests.”
Morales said that about 80% of the patients he sees have no symptoms but are diagnosed with heart disease after receiving the cardiac CT scan. Patients can have blockages that occlude 80 or 90% of their artery without having symptoms, he said.
When heart disease is identified, Morales helps patients incorporate medication, lifestyle changes and other treatment options into their lives. The goal is to avert a major cardiac event like a heart attack. In some cases, the progression of heart disease can be slowed or even reversed. In other cases, patients may receive preventative procedures like cardiac catheterizations to clear blocked arteries.
Larry and Patrick Murray after their heart surgeries. / Credit: Kevin Murray
“You can’t fight genetics”
For the Murrays, receiving cardiac CTs was life-changing and potentially life-saving. Like their older brothers, Larry and Michael each had open-heart surgery. Tim was on the edge of a widowmaker heart attack, despite years of healthy living. He needed three stents, Murray said.
Each brother came through their operation successfully. The siblings now see Morales regularly.
Murray recommends cardiac CTs to anybody he talks to “if they even mention cardiovascular health.” He’s also made sure his son and nephews know about their risk of heart disease. Russo said that anyone wondering about their family health history should take advantage of holiday gatherings to check in with relatives.
“You can’t fight genetics,” Murray said. “You can change your diet, you can maintain your exercise regimen, but the genetics are a problem. I was very grateful that the technology existed so they could determine that my brothers did indeed have problems. Now, they’re doing fantastically well.”
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