b'LOW ARTF HEdiagnose heart blockages. About without additional testing, saving but its the characteristics of that five years ago, Cone Health was onelives as well as time and money. plaque that plays a role in adverse of the very first adopters of using CTIn just over five years, we haveoutcomes that affect patients scans first in the evaluation of stablebecome a top-five-in-the-nation usermorbidity and mortality.chest pain, a recommendation thatof HeartFlow imaging to identifyAnother application is HeartFlow was just recently published in newcardiovascular disease. It gives usPlanner, which helps the invasivechest-pain guidelines.better visualization of coronarycardiologist team determine key arteries, improves our diagnoses,elements of their decision-making. 20 30% improves patient outcomes, preventsWe pull data from HeartFlow to see patients from undergoing unnecessaryimages of the coronary artery system, diagnostic catheterizations, and forsays interventional cardiologist HeartFlow gives us OF CORONARY CTthose who need intervention, it allowsHenry Smith, MD. Based on those us to plan more precisely where andimages we can develop a potentialbetter visualization SCANS PERFORMED what type of intervention is neededintervention strategy and realistic riskof coronary AT CONE HEALTHprior to minimally invasive surgery,assessment prior to the procedure. Dr. Nelson explains. This improves patient understandingarteries, improves BENEFIT FROMand acceptance. Its exciting to be ableour diagnoses and HEARTFLOW ANALYSIS THE FUTURE OF IMAGING to bridge the non-invasive world with Continued advancements inthe invasive world and tailor therapies patient outcomes, Its becoming a big thing rightHeartFlow Analysis are on thefor individual patients.prevents patients now, but we started to do it years ago,horizon, and the level of and our numbers have been growingdetail accomplished infrom undergoing exponentially since then, Dr. Nelsonthese new applicationsunnecessary says. We perform a lot of cardiac CTsis promising. One such instead of stress testing. development is plaquediagnostic Once we acquire those images, analysis, which will helpcatheterizations, Dr. Nelson continues, HeartFlow,physicians determine which we adopted in 2017, is thehow aggressively to treatand for those who next step that gives us functionala patients condition. information about lesions, in additionDr. Nelson and her teamneed intervention, to the anatomical information we are currently conductingit allows us to plan got from the CT scan itself. Itsa clinical trial called acquired from the same data set Reveal Plaque aroundmore precisely what from the same imaging. this technology.type of intervention Dr. Nelson says that not everyIf somebody has patient needs HeartFlow Analysis30% narrowing or 60%is needed.because some are clearly normal,narrowing, we dont know KATARINA NELSON, MDand others are clearly abnormal. Forwhich one of those is those in between, which amount tomore prone to rupture, about 20% to 30% of coronary CTDr. Nelson says. It scans performed at Cone Health, thedoesnt seem like thatTop: Acquisition and processingof cardiac CT imagesphysicians can get results right awaynumber plays a role, Bottom: From left: Sheryl Booth,MHA; Henry Smith, MD; WestleyEspinosa, RT(R); Katarina Nelson,MD; and Sara Wallace, RN24 / CONE HEALTH HEART & VASCULAR / 25'