Researchers, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), have created an AI-powered solution which can identify people at high risk of a heart attack years before it happens.
The EU-approved technology, CaRi-Heart, was developed by Oxford spinout company Caristo Diagnostics. It has the power to detect ‘invisible’ risk in people with possible heart disease by using routine heart scans already performed in clinical practice.
CaRi-Heart has now received it’s CE mark accreditation, meaning it can be used by doctors across the UK and Europe, and can be rolled out across the NHS.
The technology performs a deeper dive into the CCTA scans to reveal the ‘red flags’ beneath the surface, identifying the ‘ticking time bomb’ arteries that cause heart attacks. It works by using AI and deep-learning technology to produce a Fat Attenuation Index Score (FAI), which accurately measures inflammation of blood vessels in and around the heart.
Those identified at high risk of a future heart attack can be given personalised medication and monitored more closely to prevent a life-threatening event.
James Leiper, associate medical director at BHF, said: “The development and approval of this new AI tool is a major success story. It’s a prime example of how BHF-funded research can lay the foundations for a truly transformational advance in the diagnosis and prevention of heart and circulatory diseases.
“This research exemplifies the fundamental role medical research charities play in the translation of scientific research into the commercial and clinical sectors, which ultimately benefits the UK’s scientific ecosystem and patients with cardiovascular disease.”
Initially, the technology was validated in a BHF-funded study involving around 4,000 patients who were followed up for nine years after their original CCTA scan. They found that people with an abnormal FAI were up to nine times more likely to die of a heart attack in the next nine years than those with normal FAI readings.
The study also showed that at least one third of patients who underwent a routine CCTA and were initially considered low risk had a much higher risk after CaRi-Heart was applied to their scan. The patients would have therefore received a more targeted treatment based on the new technology.
Now, the researchers are looking at ways to use this technology to better predict an individual’s risk of developing stroke and diabetes by analysing routine CT scans. They are also directing their expertise towards the Covid-19 pandemic by developing an AI tool to specifically identify Covid-19 patients who are at high risk of having a future heart attack or stroke.
