Venturi Cardiology, a cardiology clinic in North-West England, has partnered with Caristo Diagnostics to provide Caristo’s AI-powered CaRi-Heart technology to patients in its practice.
Caristo Diagnostics was established in 2018, as a spin-out from the University of Oxford.
Its CaRi-Heart technology applies advanced AI algorithms to routine coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) scans to visualise and quantify coronary inflammation.
The technology is currently in clinical use across the UK, European Union (EU), and Australia.
Venturi Cardiology is part of DHC Group, a portfolio of healthcare companies that supply specialist outpatient pathways and diagnostic imaging services.
The clinic will initially offer an incentivised test package for patients requesting CaRi-Heart analysis, as part of their CCTA scan.
Venturi Cardiology consultant cardiologist and medical director Scott Murray said: “At Venturi, our approach to cardiac care is preventative and personalised for each patient.
“We are excited to offer the CaRi-Heart AI technology, which reveals an individual’s risk of heart attack over the next 8-10 years. This groundbreaking technology can revolutionise early detection and prevention of coronary artery disease.”
The CaRi-Heart technology was validated in a study conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford and other UK clinical institutions, analysing results from 40,000 patients’ CCTAs.
In the study, about 80% of patients did not have obstructive coronary artery disease at the time of imaging, but the group had twice as many fatal and non-fatal cardiac events.
Caristo’s CaRi-Heart FAI-Score measured coronary inflammation that predicted fatal and non-fatal cardiac events, including heart attack and new heart failure, at least ten years in advance.
The solution measured coronary inflammation independently from traditional risk factors, routine clinical CCTA interpretation, calcium scoring and plaque quantification.
Also, the CaRi-Heart Risk Score outperformed other scores in routine clinical use for the prediction of cardiac mortality and resulted in changes of management in 45% of the patients.
Also, CaRi-Heart’s unique biomarker, the FAI-Score, detects invisible coronary inflammation and evaluates an individual’s risk of a fatal cardiac event.
FAI-Score is potentially lifesaving for patients who, despite a negative CCTA result, remain at high risk for cardiovascular events.
Caristo Diagnostics CEO Frank Cheng said: “Coronary artery disease is the world’s No. 1 killer, but its impact could be dramatically reduced if physicians were able to spot coronary inflammation before a patient suffers from a fatal or non-fatal cardiac event.
“We are delighted to partner with Venturi Cardiology and DHC Group to bring this life-saving technology to their patients.
“This partnership will allow increased patient access to the innovative CaRi-Heart technology and can transform the management and treatment of coronary artery disease.”
