Cardiolite 50mg

Asian Continental makes Cardiolite for heart scanning tests. Each vial contains radioactive Technetium-99m sestamibi that lights up your heart muscle on special cameras. Pakistani cardiologists inject this stuff when they need to see if blood is reaching all parts of your heart properly. Not medicine that fixes anything – just helps doctors spot blocked arteries before they cause heart attacks.

Technetium-99m sestamibi travels through your bloodstream and sticks to heart muscle cells that are getting good blood supply. Areas with blocked arteries don’t grab much radioactive material, so they show up dark on scans. This reveals which arteries are clogged before chest pain starts.

Heart disease sneaks up on Pakistani men especially. Many don’t know their arteries are closing until they collapse from massive heart attack. Cardiolite scans catch problems early when stents or bypass surgery can still save heart muscle. Better than waiting for damage to happen.

Why Heart Doctors Order These Scans

Cardiologists use Cardiolite 50mg when patients might have:

• Coronary arteries getting blocked with plaque • Heart muscle not getting enough blood • Chest pain that might be heart-related • Previous heart attacks leaving damaged areas • Heart function problems after cardiac procedures • Risk factors pointing toward hidden heart disease

The Radioactive Tracer

Technetium-99m sestamibi is radioactive material that gives off gamma rays your body can’t feel. Special cameras detect these rays and create pictures of blood flow patterns in heart muscle. Radioactivity is weak and disappears within hours.

How Hospital Staff Give It

IV injection through arm vein during stress test or rest scan. Nuclear medicine technicians handle mixing and injection because radioactive materials need special training. Injection takes seconds, then you wait 30-60 minutes before scanning starts.

Gamma cameras rotate around your chest taking pictures from different angles. Takes about 20-30 minutes lying still on scanning table. No pain during actual scan, just boring waiting.

Safety Stuff to Know

Radioactivity level is extremely low – less than chest X-ray exposure. Your body flushes most of it out through urine within 24 hours. Drink lots of water after injection to speed elimination.

Pregnant women can’t get these scans because radiation might affect developing babies. Breastfeeding mothers need to pump and dump milk for 24 hours after injection.

Side Effects from Injection

Most people feel nothing from the injection itself. Some get mild headache or feel slightly nauseous. These pass quickly and don’t interfere with scan results.

Allergic reactions to sestamibi are extremely rare but medical staff watch for breathing problems or rash developing after injection.

What the Scans Show

Normal scans show even radioactivity throughout heart muscle. Dark spots indicate areas not getting enough blood. Completely black areas usually mean dead heart muscle from previous heart attacks.

Stress test scans compare blood flow during exercise versus rest. New dark areas appearing during stress reveal arteries that can’t handle increased blood demand.

Reviewed by Dr. Ayesha Rehman, Consultant Cardiologist (Karachi)

Cardiolite scans help detect blocked heart arteries much earlier than ECGs. The radiation risk is very small—less than a flight to Dubai—and the scan results guide whether you need medicines, catheterization, or surgery.

Disclaimer: This information is for awareness only. Always consult your cardiologist or a nuclear medicine specialist before having heart scans.