Using an innovative new technology, cardiologists from the Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute at Hoag discovered that doctors could safely rely on a non-invasive, artificial intelligence system to diagnose and plan a course of treatment for patients experiencing a potentially fatal heart disease.

Hoag is the first hospital in Orange County to offer CathWorks FFRangio™ System – an advanced diagnostic technology that helps physicians optimize treatment decisions for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Used at the time of a scheduled angiogram, the CathWorks FFRangio System is a non-invasive method to help determine whether or not a stent is needed and how to best treat a patient with CAD. FFR stands for “Fractional Flow Reserve,” a guide wire-based procedure that can accurately measure blood pressure and flow through a specific part of the coronary artery. With the new FFRangio™ System, no guide wire is necessary.

“This is an artificial-intelligence-meets-precision-medicine diagnostic tool for cardiac care,” said Subbarao Myla, M.D., program director for Hoag Cardiac Catheterization Labs and the Dr. Joel H. Manchester Endowed Chair in Interventional Cardiology, who presented and discussed this game-changing technology as part of an esteemed panel of faculty at the International Transcatheter Therapeutics conference in San Francisco on Sept. 27.

“When a patient goes in for an angiogram, this system can be used to immediately determine the extent of the blockage. As a result, patients who don’t need extensive treatment are able to avoid invasive testing. At Hoag, we had the privilege of pioneering this technology in a pilot that found it improves patient outcomes, lowers health risks and leads to more effective treatment of patients with CAD.”

Hoag piloted this advanced system in more than 30 cases while training physicians and staff on this new technology. Other top cardiac facilities in Southern California are beginning to pilot this technology as well.

“We are dedicated to providing high-quality, patient-centered care for every patient, so adding the CathWorks FFRangio System, after a successful evaluation of the technology, was an easy decision for us,” said Dr. Myla. “We believe this technology will benefit the patients in our community living with coronary artery disease.”

The Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart and Vascular Institute is one of the preeminent cardiovascular centers on the West Coast and is well respected for delivering quality care and exceptional patient outcomes in the areas of valve disease, vascular disease and cardiac arrhythmia. The Carlton Heart and Vascular Institute has achieved international and national accreditation for many of its programs. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons placed Hoag in the highest category for quality cardiac surgery, a rating achieved by only 10 percent of hospitals nationwide. Hoag’s physicians perform more surgeries and procedures with better outcomes than any other hospital in the county.

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