An easy read and at same time a very informative medical book. It has changed the way I look at my healthcare. Highly recommended. U.S

This is an essential and readable book on an important predictor of future heart disease (calcium building up in the coronary arteries). It explains clearly why we need more information than your cholesterol and your lifestyle, and why some 'healthy' people have an early heart attack. A better title might be 'Have you planned how to prevent your heart attack' of course.
I am a U.K. based doctor, and know that an increasing number of units use cardiac CT as part of their work-up of patients who have already shown symptoms. The question is whether the test should be extended to those without symptoms and with lower levels of risk on our standard tests, both as reassurance and as an adjunct to efficient primary prevention.
This book makes the case perfectly.

If you have a heart, this book is for you. Although the content of the book might have a measurable impact on the medical and medical insurance industries, it has been written for the man and woman in the street. The book does not make use of scare tactics, but rather educates the reader in a logical and structured manner. The message is simple, there is CT scanning technology available today that can inform the patient whether he or she is at risk of having a heart attack in the next 5 to 10 years. This informs the patient of a possible incident before it happens. The CT scanning approach to heart care moves the patient (you and me) away from statistical analysis (high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, family history, etc.) to specific knowledge about the condition of the patient heart, Good news or not so good news, wouldn't you want to know? Read the book.

Don't leave it too long to read this book - or it might be too late!

It's too easy to make medical topics too hard but Warwick's great book doesn't do that. It takes the reader on a journey that helps the layman and professional alike put the whole coronary artery story into an understandable context. What results is empowering to the layman and a gentle encouragement to the profession to move on from traditional entrenched practice.

Why is it that the Profession seems so reluctant to shift to sensible selective screening for coronary artery disease? Why is there an insistence on waiting for symptoms to justify a coronary angiogram when an earlier CT calcium score or CT angiogram could elucidate the risks?

Warwick's book uses evidence and anecdotes from his years of experience to shine a light on this area of huge medical interest. Warwick recognises that population-wide statistics have revealed the importance of broad factors across the population. But they don't go far enough to evaluate an individual's risk of a cardiac event. For instance low cholesterol, good diet and regular exercise might mean an individual is at less risk of coronary artery disease than others in the population, but the individual wants more than that. As an individual I want to know the risk that I will have a cardiac event.

Here is a knowledgeable, candid, unbiased plea that advocates an evidence-based progression for investigations. Here is a proactive pathway to follow BEFORE you have a heart attack. Worth a read. Hopefully it will contribute to a change in practice amongst cardiologists. Or do we need to change the incentive scheme first?

I found this book thought very provoking. It presents how the one of the most important indicators of poor Heart Health is overlooked by most health professionals. It is a must if you would like to understand how to discover your own level of heart attack risk.

Glad I bought this book. It contains a lot of useful information for the layman supported by case studies. Dr. Bishop’s message is all about stopping people from having cardio problems in the first place. It reminded me of the old maxim “ an ounce of prevention is better than a ton of cure”.

Very informative

Doctor Warrick Bishop is passionate about his field. With this can come a certainty that can be off-putting to those with a different view. He doesn’t let this deter him. I found his treatment clear, succinct and built on a solid experiential and medical basis. The almost confrontational title of his book, “Have You Planned Your Heart Attack?” captures the no-nonsense approach he has to this topic. Put simply, whilst many doctors play it safe using solely traditional diagnostic approaches, with these supported by the Australian Medicare system, Doctor Warrick successfully explains why more modern analytical tools, such as using a computed tomography coronary angiogram, that is available via referral on his website through to most radiologists, can identify potentially terminal heart issues that are not detected using the traditional approach. His book is beautifully put together and presented, with great illustrations and written in simple language. For anyone who wants to know more about this area of their health, I highly recommend Doctor Warrick’s work and books.
Scott Donoghue
University Tasmania Lecturer and patient

Morbidity and Mortality haunt us for as long as we live.
There are general societal changes that have improved the human condition clean water, sewerage etc...
The are medical advances vaccination, drugs, surgery....
As a society we have embraced road safety, seat belts, better vehicles and roads.
We also engage in cancer screening programs, breast, colonic, skin.
Due to all of the above we all will live safer, healthier, longer lives if we avail ourselves of the opportunities to influence our health direction.
Dr Bishop's book leads us to that opportunity to recognise a latent condition.
Identification of coronary artery disease gives us a chance to reduce our individual risk. We can be following generic health advice, be a normal weight, maintain a normal blood pressure, check cholesterol and lipids and remain physically active. But unless one looks at those 32 centimetres of coronary arteries in a non invasive fashion, one will never know.
With falling mortality in other medical conditions that are identified early, the mortality of conditions that are not identified early must rise.
Dr Bishop presents his subject well, in an easy to follow style. He makes a very good case for coronary CT scan.
Yes, this is a book for the "worried well". But it also provides a means of dealing with that worry.
Just remember Acute Myocardial Infarction kills more women than breast cancer.
I recommend this book a good informative read.
Peter Sayers

I am a fit 80 year old male. I run every second day, and when I suffered atrial flutter of the heart, I was pretty shocked. I had little understanding of heart issues. I found the book an easy read, and it has given me a useful understanding of how the heart behaves, and most importantly, the risk factors that I had pretty much taken for granted. Thoroughly recommended.