In the UK, 2.3 million people are living with coronary artery disease (CAD) which accounts for an estimated 66,000 deaths every year. Earlier identification of patients with CAD could facilitate the deployment of risk factor modifying therapies which in turn could reduce rates of morbidity and mortality. CaRi-Heart® is medical imaging analysis software that uses AI technology to analyse images from computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) scans which can predict cardiac risk in patients with suspected CAD. The AI software measures the perivascular fat attenuation index (FAI) which is integrated with clinical factors to generate an eight-year cardiac risk estimate. CaRi-Heart® can detect coronary inflammation before artery narrowing has developed, years before an attack may occur. This information can assist clinicians to inform and guide individual treatment decisions, potentially leading to a reduction in heart attacks and cardiac deaths.
HIOTV performed a feasibility study to investigate the potential clinical utility, benefits and barriers to adopting CaRi-Heart® into the NHS care pathway for chest pain assessment. CaRi-Heart® underwent National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Early Value Assessment in March 2023. Following this, NHS England initiated a six-month multi-site pilot at NHS hospitals in Oxford, Leicester, Milton Keynes and Wolverhampton. This will provide valuable insights into the real-world effectiveness and feasibility of CaRi-Heart®.
