Summary: GE HealthCare and Medis Medical Imaging are collaborating to develop and commercialize the Medis Quantitative Flow Ratio, a non-invasive diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease (CAD), aimed at improving clinical outcomes and streamlining cath lab operations.

Key Takeaways:

  • Advancement of Non-Invasive Cardiac Imaging: The collaboration aims to develop Medis Quantitative Flow Ratio (QFR), a non-invasive diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease, to improve precision and reduce the need for invasive procedures.
  • Improvement in Clinical Outcomes: Studies show QFR-guided lesion selection for percutaneous coronary intervention improves two-year clinical outcomes, reducing myocardial infarction and revascularization compared to standard angiography guidance.
  • Integration with GE HealthCare’s Allia Platform: The collaboration incorporates Medis QFR into GE’s Allia cardiology platform, aiming to streamline cath lab operations and enhance diagnostic and treatment outcomes for CAD patients.

GE HealthCare and Medis Medical Imaging have announced their collaboration to advance the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Development of Medis QFR

The two companies will develop and commercialize Medis Quantitative Flow Ratio (Medis QFR), a non-invasive method for assessing coronary physiology, as part of GE HealthCare’s Allia Platform. This collaboration aims to make emerging technologies like Medis QFR accessible while streamlining cath lab operations to enhance the clinician’s working environment.

Understanding Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary artery disease (CAD) occurs when coronary arteries narrow, restricting blood flow to the heart. To diagnose CAD, many patients undergo invasive coronary angiography to assess disease severity. Clinicians traditionally interpret angiograms visually to decide if treatment, like percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), is needed and to identify which lesions to treat to restore blood flow.

Advancing Precision Care

The collaboration between GE HealthCare and Medis Medical Imaging will introduce Medis QFR, a non-invasive, image-based diagnostic tool for assessing coronary artery physiology and treating CAD.

A recent study showed that using QFR to guide lesion selection for PCI improved two-year clinical outcomes, including reduced myocardial infarction and ischemia-driven revascularization, compared to standard angiography alone.

Enhancing Clinical Tools

“We continue to see an evolution in how clinicians work to treat cardiovascular disease and want to give clinicians the tools, along with the flexibility and adaptability, they need to enable better outcomes for their patients,” says Arnaud Marie, general manager for global intervention at GE HealthCare.

Marie adds, “In the assessment of coronary artery disease, QFR represents a significant advancement in how efficiently it can provide critical insights. We’re excited to collaborate with Medis Medical Imaging to add innovative, non-invasive, image-based QFR to our portfolio of offerings around our Allia IGS platform to streamline the experience for clinicians and help us to deliver on our vision for the future image-guided therapy.”