Royal Papworth Hospital recognised for its outstanding heart scans
Royal Papworth Hospital has been recognised for its excellence in heart scans.
Cardiac CT (computerised tomography) scans allow teams to see inside a patient’s body to diagnose suspected disease.
A high image quality aids diagnosis and means fewer patients will require further tests. In 2021, 94 per cent of cardiac CT scans at Royal Papworth were of the best quality, compared to a national average of 89 per cent.
The radiology team at the Cambridge hospital was presented with an award from the company HeartFlow.
After scanning patients with suspected coronary artery disease, the images produced undergo analysis using HeartFlow Analysis technology, which creates a detailed map of the patients’ coronary arteries to assist clinicians with diagnoses and disease management.
Dr Jonathan Weir-McCall, honorary consultant radiologist, said: “This award recognises the continued and sustained clinical excellence by the radiographers and radiologists here at Royal Papworth Hospital. Having a high image quality means that we can have a better understanding of our patients and their disease profile, and they can therefore be managed with more effective treatment plans, whether that is medical therapies or revascularisation (insertion of stents or surgery).
“This greater diagnostic certainty also improves efficiency, because patients who we refer onwards for revascularisation due to narrowed arteries are more likely to be the ones who need to be seen.
“We were one of the first centres in the UK to partner with HeartFlow, and since its introduction we have seen that 75 per cent of the patients who we send onto the catheter laboratories do end up getting revascularised, compared to 50-60 per cent prior to its implementation.
“This is a great example of industry-hospital collaboration, providing significant benefits for patients across the region.”
Stephen Kam, senior vice president, marketing, customer success and international sales, added: “We are proud to recognise the team at Royal Papworth Hospital for its outstanding CT service. The exemplary CT image quality is a testament to the team’s commitment to improving the diagnostic experience for patients with coronary heart disease.”
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