NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF., October 1, 2019 — 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, 2019.
“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.”
ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN
Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 450,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to eight health centers and 11 urgent care centers. Hoag is a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and two ambulatory surgical centers. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the 2019 – 2020 U.S. News & World Report, and Becker’s Healthcare named Hoag as one of the 2018 “100 Great Hospitals in America” – a designation Hoag has received five times. For an unprecedented 23 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.
# # #
