AI Technology at Milton Keynes University Hospital Hailed as "Game-Changing" for Heart Attack Risk Prediction

A groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) technology being trialled at Milton Keynes University Hospital is being described as "game-changing" in the effort to predict heart attack risk.

The new AI model detects inflammation in the heart that does not appear on standard CT scans, which use a combination of X-rays and computer technology.

Supported by NHS England, this pilot project is also running at hospital trusts in Oxford, Leicester, Liverpool, and Wolverhampton. A decision on whether to roll out the technology across the NHS is expected within the coming months.

Caristo Diagnostics, the Oxford University spinout company behind the technology, is also working on adapting it to prevent strokes and diabetes.

"This technology is transformative and game-changing because, for the first time, we can detect biological processes that are invisible to the human eye and that precede the development of heart blockages," said Professor Keith Channon from the University of Oxford.

In the pilot, patients at Milton Keynes University Hospital suffering from chest pain who are referred for a routine CT scan have their images analysed by Caristo Diagnostics' CaRi-Heart AI platform. This platform uses an algorithm to detect coronary inflammation and plaque, with results then verified by trained operators.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) estimates that around 7.6 million people in the UK live with heart disease, costing the NHS in England approximately £7.4 billion each year. Each year, about 350,000 patients in the UK are referred for cardiac CT scans, according to the BHF.

The Orfan study (Oxford Risk Factors and Non-invasive Imaging), published in The Lancet, involved 40,000 patients and found that 80% were sent back to primary care without a specific prevention or treatment plan. The study revealed that patients with inflammation in their coronary arteries had a 20 to 30 times higher risk of dying from a cardiac event within the next 10 years.

Using the new AI technology, researchers found that 45% of these patients were prescribed medication or advised to make lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of future heart attacks.