AI could turn routine chest scans into heart risk warnings
NCT ID NCT07808593
First seen Sep 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether an open-source artificial intelligence model can measure coronary artery calcium on routine chest CT scans that were not originally taken for heart imaging. The study uses existing scans from about 1,950 people at a German hospital, including patients with paired cardiac CTs, dialysis patients, and older emergency department patients. The goal is to see how well the AI score matches standard calcium measurements and whether it can predict heart events and death. No patients receive any intervention.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- an open-source artificial intelligence algorithm called Swin-UNETR that measures coronary artery calcium on routine chest CT scans
- What this could lead to
- If it works, routine chest CT scans could flag hidden heart risk without extra tests, helping doctors spot people who need closer cardiac care.
- What could go wrong
- The study is retrospective and tests the algorithm on scans from one German center, so results may not hold on other scanners or in different populations. The AI may miss or misread calcium, and the study cannot prove that acting on its scores improves outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 1,950 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Nov 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Retrospective patients at University Hospital Cologne with routine clinical CT imaging (01 January 2015 - 31 December 2025), across three analytic cohorts (validation, dialysis, emergency department); approximately 1,950 cases.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Validation cohort: patients with a paired non-gated chest CT and an ECG-gated cardiac CT acquired within ≤ 12 months. * Dialysis cohort: hemodialysis patients with serial non-gated CTs, plus matched kidney-healthy controls. * Emergency department cohort: patients \> 50 years with non-gated chest CTs from the Emergency Department without a primary cardiac focus. Exclusion Criteria: * Documented objection to the scientific use of the data pursuant to Art. 21 GDPR. * Cases lacking the minimum data required for analysis (insufficient image quality or missing reference/outcome data).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
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