Crouse Health Announces Availability of Heartflow Analysis to Enhance Cardiac Care Diagnostics

Crouse Health now offers a proven, non-invasive AI-enabled technology to accurately measure the volume of coronary artery plaque for people with suspected heart disease. Using CT images, Heartflow Plaque Analysis identifies the amount, location, and type of plaque present. Trained analysts and AI algorithms create an anatomical model of a person’s heart that helps physicians assess the extent of heart disease for optimal management of the disease.

Crouse is the only hospital in the area to offer Heartflow Plaque Analysis.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults in the United States, and CAD is the most common type of heart disease, affecting nearly half the adult population. CAD develops when plaque is deposited in the arteries leading to the heart, which can lead to key vessels narrowing or becoming blocked and potentially reducing blood flow to the heart. This can cause chest pain, heart attack and death. Identifying exactly where and how an artery is blocked or clogged can help improve a person’s treatment plan — including whether or not an intervention is needed.

Despite CAD being the most common form of heart disease, studies have shown there is a need to improve how and when CAD is evaluated and diagnosed. Many of the non-invasive tests available today offer a low accuracy rate in detecting CAD. About 4 million diagnostic tests are conducted on patients with chest pain suspected of having CAD each year in the U.S. — many of which are unnecessary.

“Historically, we have been faced with either using tests that were frequently inaccurate or putting a patient through an invasive procedure just to determine whether they would need another invasive procedure to restore blood flow,” said Crouse cardiologist Joseph
Battaglia, MD. “Heartflow FFR_CT Analysis completely changes this paradigm, providing essential information that can help us determine the right approach for a patient through a convenient, non-invasive platform.”

Recognized by professional guidelines; backed by data
“Heartflow Plaque Analysis will help us develop the most appropriate treatment plan for each patient with coronary artery disease,” Dr. Battaglia said. “This innovation enhances Crouse Health’s commitment to providing state-of-the-art cardiac care and we’re pleased to be able to offer it to our patients.”

Heartflow FFR_CT Analysis offers the highest diagnostic accuracy available from a non-invasive test, according to Dr. Battaglia. Heartflow FFR_CT Analysis combines imaging and artificial intelligence to create a personalized, digital model of a patient’s coronary arteries. By simulating blood flow within the heart, physicians can assess the impact of blockages and optimize patient care without the need for invasive procedures, says Dr. Battaglia.

About Crouse Health Cardiac Services
Crouse Health provides a complete range of interventional and diagnostic cardiac services including adult and pediatric cardiology; heart emergencies; cardiac catheterization (including the region’s only pediatric cath program); electrophysiology; echocardiology; cardiac device implantation; “Shockwave” technology for heart procedures. The Diane and Bob Miron Cardiac Care Center is nationally recognized for its high standard of clinical excellence and patient-centered care.