The Prospective Army Coronary Calcium (PAAC) Study
Abstract
The purpose of the Army's cardiovascular screening program, initiated in 1981 and revised in 1989, was to reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death associated with the mandatory semi- annual Army Physical Fitness Test. Despite mandatory screening for high risk individuals aged 40 years and older over the last decade, it does not appear that cardiovascular screening has had a major impact on sudden cardiac death of the middle aged U.S. Army soldier. This has prompted the Office of the Surgeon General, Department of the Army, to search for other screening tests for asymptomatic individuals. One such possibility is electron beam computed tomography (EBCT), which detects and quantifies coronary atherosclerotic burden in older populations through detection of coronary calcification. Civilian data, derived largely from selected, higher risk, and self-referred populations, are inadequate to assess the wide-scale application of this technology to lower risk individuals. To understand how EBCT might improve cardiovascular screening in the Army, the Prospective Army Coronary Calcium (PACC) study (a large, prospective, single center study) is investigating the relationship between EBCT findings, coronary risk behavior, and cardiovascular events, in young, asymptomatic U.S. Army personnel. This proposal focuses on evidence-based technology integration and preventive medicine. These aims have been endorsed by both the "Military Health Services System 2020 Report" and the Medical Research and Materiel Command "The Role of Technology in Reducing Health Care Costs" (MRMC white paper, October 1996) as major research initiatives for the future of military medicine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA430334
Entities
People
- Allen J. Taylor
- Maria Hankerson