Fit and apparently healthy, Chris Hewgill only just survived a cardiac arrest caused by atherosclerosis while out surfing. Most people are not so lucky.
New research by the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute has found a possible way to identify the unstable plaques at risk of rupturing and causing a heart attack.
Atherosclerosis is a build-up of fatty deposits, cholesterol and plaque on the inside of the arteries.
In a major research advance, Professor Roland Stocker and his team at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute are a huge step closer to identifying unstable plaques. These types of plaques are prone to rupture, and this can cause a heart attack. Watch the 96 seconds video below to learn more about our team's amazing breakthrough.
Currently, there is no routine, non-invasive procedure available to determine which plaques are unstable and therefore likely to cause a heart attack.
But there is one in the pipeline. A special probe is being used in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to develop a way to detect the dangerous plaque so that it can be treated.
And Professor Stocker’s laboratory has identified a possible way to stabilise this dangerous type of plaque.
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