Siemens Healthineers and HeartFlow have inked a deal to combine the former’s CT scanners with the latter’s noninvasive imaging technology for coronary artery disease. The partnership will initially focus on the U.S., but the pair plans to extend it into international markets.
HeartFlow’s FFRct Analysis will use CT images to compile a 3D model of each patient’s coronary arteries, according to a statement. Algorithms evaluate the impact of coronary blockages on blood flow, providing physicians with information that could help them devise the best course of treatment. Noninvasive coronary CT angiography is already used to examine the coronary arteries.
A study found that one year after imaging, FFRct had equivalent clinical outcomes as traditional coronary angiography, which requires catheterization. The data show that FFRct Analysis may prevent unnecessary invasive angiograms, Siemens said in the statement.
And while noninvasive tests to diagnose coronary artery disease are not new, FFRct is said to be more accurate than other tests. The tech earned the FDA nod in 2014, based on a study showing FFRct had an 86% diagnostic accuracy, while coronary CT angiography had an accuracy of 60%.
In February, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended the use of FFRct to assess patients with recent-onset chest pain. The cost watchdog calculated that using the noninvasive tech and avoiding invasive procedures could save the U.K.’s healthcare system $11.4 million a year.
“Like HeartFlow, Siemens Healthineers is deeply committed to helping clinicians improve the patient experience and clinical outcomes while also helping them to reduce the total cost of healthcare,” said HeartFlow CEO John Stevens, in the statement. “By working together, we can ensure this technology gets to every patient who can benefit from it.”