Heartflow has announced two-year data from FISH&CHIPS, a real-world, multicentre, retrospective study, conducted by the National Health Service (NHS) in England, were published in Nature Medicine.
The study, which analysed the impact of adding Heartflow fractional flow reserve (FFRCT) derived from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) to a CCTA pathway for the evaluation of coronary artery disease CAD, showed improved care efficiency and reduction in unnecessary tests with CCTA+FFRCT versus CCTA alone.
“New findings from the FISH&CHIPS study demonstrate that a CCTA+FFRCT pathway at a national level can positively impact individual patient care, improving the suspected coronary artery disease patient’s journey,” said Timothy Fairbairn (Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK), principal investigator for the study. “FFRCT is a major AI-driven advancement in the management of cardiac disease that is helping to ensure that patients receive more precise, improved care, by reducing unnecessary invasive procedures and additional tests whilst identifying those who need intervention.”
The overarching results of the more than 90,000-patient study, covering the breadth of NHS England, showcased the impact of a CCTA+FFRCT diagnostic pathway using Heartflow technology versus CCTA alone. Key outcomes outlined in the published data include that the CCTA+FFRCT cohort reduced the need for an invasive coronary angiography (ICA) procedure by 7% and led to a reduction in inappropriate ICA procedures that did not result in treatment by 16%.
Additionally, CCTA+FFRCT helped to identify more patients that would benefit from revascularisation, with one additional appropriate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) identified for every two negative diagnostic catheterizations that were avoided. CCTA+FFRCT showed a 12% relative reduction in the need for a secondary non-invasive test after CCTA, for example requiring a repeat CCTA or nuclear stress test.
“By implementing a nationwide CCTA-first strategy for assessing patients with potential cardiovascular disease, NHS has set the standard for both clinical efficacy and efficiency — an approach now reflected in clinical guidelines worldwide,” said Campbell Rogers, Heartflow’s chief medical officer. “The FISH&CHIPS data underscore how the addition of Heartflow’s FFRCT technology can improve upon the CCTA-first approach for many patients and optimize the use of both noninvasive testing and treatment.”
