A recent major study, which involved Athens, shows a noninvasive procedure can help heart patients. St. Mary’s Hospital joined more than 20 other facilities around the world as part of a study on high-resolution CT imaging. The study showed the procedure worked as well, if not better, than stress tests in determining the risk of heart attacks.
“Some of the patients who had a negative stress test actually had a significant blockage on the heart catheterization.”
That’s according to Dr. Erick Avelar, medical director of advanced cardio imaging at St. Mary’s Hospital was the lead local researcher.
“We found that cardiac CT actually provided more accurate information when compared to heart catheterization which was the reference standard as compared to a stress test.”
Coronary artery blockage is the cause of most heart attacks.
“This was a study looking at patients who already had symptoms, chest pain with suspected coronary artery disease and they underwent all modalities,” Avelar said. “They underwent a CT of the coronary arteries, they underwent a stress test, and then they underwent an invasive procedure and both modalities were compared to the reference standard.”
This was the first clinical research collaboration of its kind between OHVC, St. Mary’s and the University of Georgia.
The results of the study, named the CREDENCE Trial, were published in JAMA Cardiology, a journal of the American Medical Association.