REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – July 21, 2016 – Providence Health Care has become the first center in Canada to adopt the Heartflow® FFRCT Analysis, and also first in the world to utilize the next generation version of the platform. The Heartflow FFRCT Analysis, which was recently approved by Health Canada, is a novel, non-invasive technology used by clinicians to assess their patients for coronary artery disease.
Developed by Heartflow, Inc., the Heartflow FFRCT Analysis is the only non-invasive technology to provide insight into both the extent of coronary artery disease and the impact that disease has on blood flow to the heart, aiding clinicians in selecting an appropriate treatment. The latest generation of the Heartflow FFRCT Analysis is a cloud-based platform that allows for the more rapid processing of cases. The innovative technology has been proven to reduce the need for invasive and costly procedures previously performed to diagnose patients suspected of having coronary artery disease.
“The Heartflow FFRCT Analysis has the potential to substantially shift the way we diagnose patients with chest pain,” said Jonathon Leipsic, M.D., FRCPC, chairman of the Department of Radiology for Providence Health Care. “The technology offers us a deeper understanding of the extent of the coronary artery disease and risk it poses to the patient. This has very much changed our practice, allowing for more appropriate and personalized treatment decision making.”
Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease. An estimated 1.6 million Canadians are living with the condition, which is the leading cause of death and hospitalization.1 Heart disease costs the Canadian economy more than $20.9 billion every year.2
“Coronary artery disease is not only prevalent but can also be challenging to accurately diagnose with traditional non-invasive tests,” said John H. Stevens, M.D., chairman and CEO of Heartflow. “With our expansion to Canada, we can now help more clinicians diagnose cardiovascular disease non-invasively while reducing unnecessary invasive catheterizations and saving costs.”
The Heartflow FFRCT Analysis is a web-based platform that aids clinicians in diagnosing coronary artery disease, and provides personalized, actionable information to physicians to manage each patient. The technology solves millions of complex equations simulating blood flow in the coronary arteries to provide mathematically computed fractional flow reserve (FFRCT) values. The result is a personalized color-coded model of the patient’s coronary arteries that aids physicians in determining, vessel-by-vessel, if sufficient blood is reaching the heart.
About Heartflow, Inc.
Heartflow, Inc. is a personalized medical technology company seeking to transform the way cardiovascular disease is diagnosed and treated. The company’s Heartflow FFRCT Analysis is the first available non-invasive solution that enables a physician to more accurately evaluate whether a patient has significant coronary artery disease (CAD) based on both anatomy and physiology. The novel solution, which produces a model of the patient’s coronary arteries, is well positioned to become an integral part of the standard of care for patients who are at risk for CAD because of its potential to improve clinical outcomes, improve the patient experience and reduce the cost of care. The Heartflow Analysis is commercially available in the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. For more information visit www.Heartflow.com.
- Statistics Canada. Causes of Death, Canada, 2011.CANSIM data. Released January 28, 2014
- Life time risk and years lived free of total CVD. JAMA, November 7, 2012-Vol 308, No. 17.