Keeping up with the digital transformations might sound intimidating. But for every industry, change is inevitable. So is for the healthcare industry. However, adapting to the digital era requires a flexible and challenging mindset. Identifying this impending paradigm shift in the near future, HeartFlow, a medical technology company, has revolutionized precision heart care. HeartFlow’s non-invasive personalized cardiac test provides unprecedented visualization of each patient’s coronary arteries, enabling physicians to create optimal treatment plans for their patients. Combining technology with cardiac health to offer the best possible heart care has become a considerable advancement in the healthcare industry.

HeartFlow FFRCT Analysis has transformed coronary artery disease detection. HeartFlow Planner is an interactive tool that lets the user model multiple treatment strategies in real-time before even entering the cath lab. It enables the users to explore various clinical scenarios vessel-by-vessel using virtual modeling. Reviewing and modifying treatment plans with colleagues pre-procedurally and visualizing the treatment path at any time, from anywhere is also possible with this solution.

Coronary Artery Disease is the most frequent type of heart disease. The disease commonly occurs when the coronary arteries become narrowed or blocked and cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart. The modeled stenosis marker identifies areas with greater than 30% narrowing in the anatomic model. FFRCT pins provide precise values and can be seen at any point through the vessel. When chosen, a stenosis marker will display a dotted line that specifies the area of the model affected by the narrowing. The end dots can be engaged to adjust the desired length of the region to be modified. Now, open the lumen to view the impact of the selected strategy on the modeled vessel. Then revert the changes to inspect other scenarios. HeartFlow planner can be used for multiple cases like borderline, focal, and multiple stenoses.

To receive a HeartFlow Analysis, one must exhibit symptoms of coronary artery disease and must be referred by a physician. First, the patient will receive a standard cardiac CT scan. If the condition is identified and additional information is required, the physician may order a HeartFlow Analysis. No other hospital visits are needed for this test.

In December 2021, HeartFlow applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to add advanced anatomic assessment and plaque evaluation to the HeartFlow FFRCT Analysis. This will help identify the presence as well as the location of narrowings in the coronary arteries based on CT scans. This technology will provide plaque volume and characterize the plaque present. By adding the anatomic assessment and plaque evaluation to the physiological information currently offered by the HeartFlow Analysis, physicians will better understand a patient’s coronary disease burden.

“HeartFlow is committed to becoming an indispensable partner to physicians in delivering precision heart care by providing a broad portfolio of game-changing innovations that leverage our core deep learning technology,” says John H. Stevens, MD, President, CEO, and Co-Founder, HeartFlow. “The FDA submission is an important step towards delivering a solution that we believe supports complete cardiovascular care by providing clinicians with advanced insights about anatomy, physiology, and plaque for their patients with coronary artery disease,” he added.

HeartFlow recently announced it has submitted a 510k premarket application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to add advanced anatomic assessment and plaque evaluation to the HeartFlow FFRCT Analysis. The PreRead anatomic assessment will help identify the presence and location of narrowings or stenoses in the coronary arteries based on coronary computed tomography (CT) scans. The HeartFlow Plaque technology will provide plaque volume and characterize the type of plaque present. By adding the anatomic assessment and plaque evaluation to the physiological information currently provided by the HeartFlow Analysis, physicians will gain a more comprehensive understanding of a patient’s coronary disease burden and support efficient risk stratification of patients who may be at high risk of death from a heart attack.

HeartFlow’s technology reflects its Silicon Valley origins and embodies over two decades of scientific evidence with the latest advances in AI. The HeartFlow FFRCT Analysis is now commercially available in the United States, UK, Canada, Europe, and Japan. The HeartFlow team is dedicated to making cardiovascular care easier for doctors and safer for patients. Overall, the physicians get the critical information they need without an invasive procedure’s added risks and costs. As of now, 80% of the top 50 U.S heart hospitals have adopted HeartFlow and is transforming the way cardiology is practiced.