Essentia Health-Fargo is the first hospital in the Dakotas to use CathWorks, a revolutionary diagnostic technology that provides clinicians physiology results in just a few minutes while improving the patient experience.
The CathWorks FFRangio® System provides physicians with additional technology to support the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) and to further inform clinical decision-making during cardiac catheterization procedures.
The most common type of heart disease, CAD is the narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries. Over time, plaque build-up, including cholesterol, limits how much blood can reach the heart. Angiograms, a diagnostic procedure that uses X-ray images, are used to look for blockages and factional flow reserve (FFR) measures their impact.
In contrast to traditional FFR, the CathWorks system combines artificial intelligence and advanced computational science to obtain information from routine angiograms of a patient’s heart to create a 3D model. This model shows the location and degree of any blockages in the coronary arteries, eliminating the need for drug stimulation and invasive pressure wires. It’s estimated CathWorks also will yield an approximate 20% decrease of radiation exposure.
“This is another important step forward in our commitment to providing exceptional cardiovascular care for the patients and communities we serve,” said Kaila Jangula, operations manager of the cardiac catheterization (cath) lab at Essentia Health-Fargo. “Bringing CathWorks to Essentia Health reflects our focus on innovation, physician support and improving the patient care experience through advanced technology.”
It’s important to note that CathWorks is not intended for every patient with CAD. Instead, it’s for a specific subset of that patient population and is initiated by a provider referral.
Since its implementation at the end of August, the CathWorks system has been used 10 times with patients.
As the first in the region to implement this technology, Essentia continues to strengthen its heart and vascular program and reinforce its role as a leader in delivering high-quality, advanced cardiac care close to home. Essentia Health-Fargo also recently opened a second electrophysiology (EP) procedural suite, equipped with advanced imaging and mapping technology to improve the diagnosis and treatment of complex irregular heart rhythms.
For more information on Essentia’s cardiovascular services, including vascular screenings available at Essentia Health-Fargo, visit essentiahealth.org/heart. To learn more about your heart health and potential risk, take our online assessment at EssentiaHealth.org/MyHeart. It only takes a few minutes and is free.