BBCTechnology that could identify people at risk of heart attack within the next decade has been hailed by scientists as a “game-changing innovation”.
The artificial intelligence (AI) model detects inflammation in the heart that doesn’t show up on scans, which involve a combination of X-rays and computer technology.
A pilot project, supported by NHS England, is running in five hospitals in Oxford, Milton Keynes, Leicester, Liverpool and Wolverhampton.
A decision on its use within the NHS is expected in the coming months.
Its developer, Oxford University-based Caristo Diagnostics, said it was already working to adapt the technology to prevent strokes and diabetes.
“This technology is transformative and game-changing because for the first time we can detect the biological processes invisible to the human eye that precede the development of strictures and blockages (in the heart),” said Professor Keith Channon, from the University of Oxford.
As part of the pilot, patients with chest pain referred for a routine CT scan have their scan analyzed by Caristo Diagnostics’ CaRi-Heart AI platform.
An algorithm, which detects coronary inflammation and plaque, is then evaluated by trained operators to verify its accuracy.
Research has shown that increased inflammation is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and fatal heart attacks.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) estimates that around 7.6 million people are living with heart disease in the UK and the annual cost to the NHS in England is £7.4 billion, according to government figures.
According to the BHF, around 350,000 patients are referred for cardiac CT scans in the UK each year.
The Orfan (Oxford Risk Factors and Non-invasive imaging) study involving 40,000 patients and published in the Lancetfound that 80% of people were referred to primary care without a defined prevention or treatment plan.
Focusing on this cohort, the researchers said they found that if patients had inflammation in their coronary arteries, they had a 20 to 30 times higher risk of dying from a cardiac event over the next 10 years.
The study, funded by the BHF, found that using AI technology, 45% of these patients were prescribed medication or encouraged to make lifestyle changes to prevent the risk of future heart attacks.
“Wake-up call”
Ian Pickford, 58, from Barwell in Leicestershire, was referred for a scan in November 2023 after experiencing persistent chest pains.
He was enrolled in the Orfan study at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
The double glazing salesman was prescribed statins, told to stop smoking and increase his exercise after tests using AI analysis suggested he was at risk of a heart attack.
“It’s a huge wake-up call,” Mr Pickford said.
“And when you see it on paper, you realize how serious it is. It’s something you can look at every day and think, ‘I have to do something about this.'”
Professor Charalambos Antoniades, leader of the Orfan study, said the tools available so far were primitive because risk calculators could only assess general risk factors, such as whether a patient had diabetes, smoked or was obese.
He said: “Now, with this type of (AI) technology, we know exactly which patient has pathological activity in their arteries before the disease has even developed.
“This means we can act early to stop the progression of the disease and treat that patient to prevent the disease from developing and thus prevent heart attacks from occurring.”
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently assessing the technology to determine whether it should be rolled out across the NHS.
It is also under review in the United States and has been approved for use in Europe and Australia.
