UPMC offers free vascular disease screenings

On Saturday the University of Pittsburgh Division of vascular surgery, in conjunction with the American Vascular Association's national screening program, will offer free screenings for vascular disease.

They'll check for an aortic aneurysm, which occurs when the wall of the largest artery in the human body becomes weakened by build-ups of fatty deposits, killing about 15,000 people every year, and peripheral arterial disease, which develops from hardening arteries that can narrow and cause blockages.

Each screening will include:

• A carotid ultrasound scan to detect the risk of stroke

• An aortic ultrasound scan to detect aortic aneurysm

• An ankle-brachial index to detect peripheral arterial disease

The screenings will be from 8 a.m. to 4 pm. tomorrow at UPMC Shadyside Medical Building, Suite 307, 5200 Centre Ave. Appointments are required. To register, call 412-623-3333.