SNMMI Mars Shot: Cardiac Disease
Thirty million Americans have heart disease, and 660,000 die each year, accounting for 1 in 4 of all deaths annually. That means a patient dies every 36 seconds. Early prevention and diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) and other cardiac issues are vitally important in taking appropriate, individually applicable action. Without data learning to fill in the gaps, the efficacy of early detection and treatment is reduced. Sometimes heart disease may be “silent” and not diagnosed until a person experiences signs or symptoms of a heart attack, heart failure, or an arrhythmia¹. In everyday clinical practice, predicting a heart attack is challenging. The predicted likelihood of a heart attack is based on cardiovascular risk factor and scores, especially in patients with suspected CAD. However, even in patients with confirmed CAD, cardiovascular risk factors and scores don’t always show the full picture.