In 2008, Dr. Ernie Garcia was a healthy 60-year-old who knew the importance of a heart-healthy lifestyle. When he experienced a chest pain episode, his cardiologist insisted he had nothing to worry about. But the symptoms persisted, spurring him to request a nuclear cardiology study — a non-invasive test done on what’s known as a PET scanner. “When I got off the machine, I just looked at the computer, and from about 20 feet away I knew exactly what was going on with me,” Garcia says.
