AI could spare many heart patients from risky invasive tests
NCT ID NCT06648239
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This completed trial tested whether an artificial intelligence (AI) tool could help doctors decide which low-risk patients with suspected heart disease should get a safer, non-invasive CT scan instead of an invasive angiogram. The study involved 251 adults referred for non-urgent heart testing. The goal was to see if the AI-guided triage could reduce the number of unnecessary invasive procedures, which are costly and carry risks.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Artificial intelligence screening tool and cardiac CT angiography
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could reduce the number of unnecessary invasive heart procedures, making diagnosis safer and cheaper for low-risk patients.
- What could go wrong
- This was a small, completed trial, so results may not apply to all patients or settings. The AI tool may not always correctly identify who needs invasive testing.
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.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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251 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2025
- Finished
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Jan 2026
- 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.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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.
Patients are eligible to participate if they: 1) are ≥18 years of age; 2) are referred for non-urgent (elective) outpatient ICA; 3) have an indication for ICA that includes 'Rule out CAD', 'Cardiomyopathy', or 'Stable CAD'; and 4) are able to provide informed consent in English. Patients fulfilling any of the following criteria will be ineligible to participate: 1) prior high-quality coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) within the last 5 years; 2) atrial fibrillation; 3) known severe renal dysfunction (GFR \<35); 4) planned non-coronary cardiac surgery; 5) any prior obstructive CAD, acute coronary syndrome, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass graft; 6) known severe coronary artery calcification (calcium score \>250); or have a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 40.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Hamilton General Hospital
Hamilton, Ontario, L8L 2X2, Canada
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McMaster University Medical Centre
Hamilton, Ontario, L8N 3Z5, Canada
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St. Catharines Hospital
St. Catharines, Ontario, L2S 0A9, Canada
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