By Tom Watson and Sabrina Newell, Clinical Analysts at MD Buyline

Prevention and early detection were key themes throughout the American College of Cardiology's recent scientific session and expo in Washington, D.C.

This emphasis is based on a growing desire to move health care toward a more proactive role and mindset rather than merely diagnosis and treatment. Once the disease is more established and must be managed or treated, it can get expensive and more interventional, hence disruptive to the patient’s life.



Early detection and risk factor modification continue to drive less invasive imaging and diagnostic techniques such as cardiac CT, cardiac MR, and ultrasound. New medical regimens to reduce known risk factors such as LDL cholesterol, along with new medications, are becoming a major focus for both technology and pharmacological manufacturers.

An emerging technology focus is on noninvasive assessment of the flow dynamics for coronary lesions via a measurement of Frequency Flow Reserve (FFR). A technique from HeartFlow provides this measurement as part of a cardiac CT. HeartFlow and Siemens announced a nonexclusive partnership at the ACC for this functionality.

HeartFlow will likely develop similar partnerships with other CT vendors in the future. This capability requires the data to be sent to HeartFlow for a 24-hour evaluation, but the company is working on reducing this time so this can become a mainstream option.

This technology could more accurately diagnose physiologically significant lesions noninvasively. As it is perfected, it could be a factor in a triage process to send patients to surgery, interventional therapy, or medical therapy/prevention, or to establish that there is no cardiac threat.

SURTAVI Clinical Trials
This was a newly released clinical trial that is continuing to show success in demonstrating that Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement/Intervention (TAVR/TAVI) is a safe and non-inferior option for patients with a moderate surgical risk profile. As more approved valve replacement options are becoming available, the consideration of TAVR versus surgical solutions is expanding to patients who would normally have only surgical options available.

This is a very positive move from the initial findings that focused on patients who had no options, as they were too high-risk for surgery. It will continue to expand the use and consideration of catheter-based aortic valve treatment to a wider patient population.

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