AI-APPROVE: Smarter Use of Heart Scans, Stronger Societies
Within the AI-APPROVE project, we aim to improve the exclusion diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), a heart condition that is becoming increasingly common in the Netherlands. It is a collaboration between the University Medical Center Utrecht, MedxAI, Expertise Center Care Algorithms and the St. Jansdal Hospital. This collaboration is all about bringing together parties from the public and private sectors to make great strides in cardiac healthcare.
Currently, cardiologists often use cardiac scans such as CCTA to rule out CAD in patients with CAD-related symptoms, but many of these scans may not be necessary. With CAD expected to affect nearly one million people in the Netherlands by 2040, it is important to find ways to rule out CAD more efficiently, preferably without cardiac imaging. AI-APPROVE is working on this by trying to reduce the number of unnecessary cardiac scans. This means fewer procedures for patients, less exposure to radiation and contrast agents, and more efficient use of available resources as the pressure on care is high and even getting higher.
At the heart of AI-APPROVE is a tool called the ARGUS algorithm. It uses AI to predict whether an individual really does not need a heart scan. Previous studies have shown that ARGUS is very good at identifying individuals who do not have CAD, allowing them to avoid unnecessary scans. The project is now further validating ARGUS and integrating it into the healthcare system. We aim to see how it influences cardiologists’ decisions about heart scans and get it ready for use in the clinic.
AI-APPROVE fits exactly with the Dutch Ministry of Health's goals of helping people live healthier lives and reducing inequalities in health care. By bringing ARGUS to hospitals and clinics, AI-APPROVE not only changes how we rule out heart disease; it also shows how AI can play a major role in our healthcare system and set the stage for more advances in the future.