News Releases

Heart Scan Detects Life-threatening Blockage for Sugar Land CEO

Houston, Texas, December 2, 2002 -- At age 68, Gene Reed, president and CEO of E.E. Reed Construction in Sugar Land, had worked out for most of his life. "I kept in pretty good shape," he says. "I thought I was eating pretty well, taking a lot of vitamins. I had started feeling tired, and had a harder time going through the motions of exercising. I attributed it to my getting older. I never thought I had a cholesterol problem."

Reed had undergone physical examinations annually for 20 years, but as of this summer, had not taken a cardiac stress test in several years. After touring the Memorial Hermann Wellness Institute with a friend, Reed decided to submit to a full body scan, HeartScan and virtual colonoscopy. "They can perform tests here of the same caliber as the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, but at a more convenient location for me," he says.

Reviewing Reed's results one Friday afternoon, Dr. Jon Divine informed Reed that his heart scan detected substantial arterial plaque on all of Reed's major coronary arteries. Dr. Divine immediately referred him to a cardiologist, and soon Reed was admitted for triple bypass surgery. Following successful surgery, Reed is now back to work, has begun a cardiac rehabilitation exercise plan and is even playing golf again.

"Luckily, I never had a heart attack or any sort of heart damage," Reed says. "My surgeons loved to see me because my heart muscle had not yet been damaged. I was so much farther along in recovery than other patients with weakened heart tissue."

"Because of my active lifestyle, I never dreamed I would have open heart surgery," Reed says. "It was a complete shock. Getting my heart scan at Memorial Hermann may very well have saved my life."
The coronary artery scan (heart scan) is offered at the Memorial Hermann Wellness Institute, located in the Memorial Hermann/HBU Wellness Center near Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital. The test is completely non-invasive, takes less then 10 minutes and does not require a physician order. A coronary artery scan is recommended for middle-aged adults (men 35 - 70, women 40 - 70) with or without risk factors (smoking, elevated cholesterol, etc.). For more information or to schedule a heart scan, contact the Wellness Institute at 713-448-8383.

More than 500,000 men and women have heart attacks each year. Don't be a statistic - have a heart scan today. It could very well save YOUR life.

For more information, contact Media Relations.