Long Branch, NJ, September 25, 2020 – Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, and the disease that causes it, atherosclerotic disease (hardening of the arteries), also can cause stroke, peripheral vascular disease, and aneurysm formation.
“While these vascular diseases are often termed silent killers, as people often remain asymptomatic until the disease has advanced, screening for vascular diseases that affect the peripheral blood vessels outside the heart can be easily accomplished by non-invasive means, allowing for medical care that may prevent disease progression,” says Randy Shafritz, M.D., Regional Director of Vascular Services for Monmouth Medical Center, Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus and Community Medical Center.
To help community members determine if they have or may be at risk for an underlying vascular disease Dr. Shafritz will present an arterial screening event at his office, Monmouth Heart and Vascular, located at 274 Route 35 South in Eatontown. The screening event will be held Friday, November 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“The tests are non-invasive, painless, and simple to administer,” he says. “Vascular ultrasound techniques and blood pressure measurements can be used to evaluate the carotid arteries, peripheral blood vessels, and the abdominal aorta to determine if any disease is present.”
Dr. Shafritz notes that risk factors for vascular disease include smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Additionally, a family history of vascular or heart disease, being over age 55 and a sedentary lifestyle put individuals at higher risk as well, he adds.
Cost for the screening is $99. To learn more or to make a screening appointment, call 888-724-7123.
About Monmouth Medical Center:
Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) facility, along with The Unterberg Children’s Hospital, is a regional teaching campus for Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. As the first hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties, Monmouth Medical Center offers the most experienced surgeons in robotics and other minimally invasive procedures as well as bariatric and joint and spine surgery. Monmouth Medical Center delivers more babies annually than all other hospitals in Monmouth and Ocean counties combined and the fourth most in the state and was recently one of nine New Jersey hospitals recognized by Newsweek magazine as a top maternity hospital. The hospital offers access to the region’s top cardiologists and the award-winning, nationally recognized RWJBarnabas heart centers. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has conferred Magnet® recognition for Monmouth Medical Center as a reflection of its nursing professionalism, teamwork and superiority in patient care. It is the only hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties to consistently receive an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization. RWJBarnabas Health and Monmouth Medical Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey — the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center — brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside patients, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials.
CONTACT: Kathy Horan
(732) 546-6317
Kathy.Horan@rwjbh.org