PATIENTS at a Clydebank hospital have become the first in Scotland to have stents fitted with guided artificial intelligence technology.
Golden Jubilee doctors are using the software to help them quicker and more accurate decisions during procedures to treat coronary artery disease.
Using the AI and an existing Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) – an imagining technique – is giving medics a comprehensive view inside patients’ heart arteries, helping them to determine the best course of treatment.
Consultant Interventional Cardiologist Dr Stuart Watkins said: “As people get older they can develop hardening of the heart arteries due to calcification.
“This makes treating the arteries difficult for cardiologists because calcium is very hard and it can limit the expansion of our stents.
“It’s very important to identify calcification in the heart arteries, which isn’t always apparent from doing a basic coronary angiogram.
“OCT gives us extremely detailed pictures within the arteries so that we can pick up calcification and determine the best treatment strategy before we put stents in.”
One of the first patients treated with the new technology at the NHS Golden Jubilee was 85-year-old Chris Stevenson, originally from Duntocher, West Dunbartonshire, but now living in Larkhall, Lanarkshire.
Chris has suffered from heart problems since the age of 50, but when his condition worsened recently, he needed to have four stents fitted.
The retired mechanical engineer, who was awake for the full three-hour procedure, said: “I’ve been taking things quite slowly at the moment. My wife Betty won’t even let me do my normal chores, but I feel fantastic.
“I’ve also had 2 knee replacements so I haven’t been able to do the hillwalking I love, but I would like to get back to just being able to go out and keep active, so hopefully this latest treatment will help me do that.
“I know how hard the specialists worked for me, as well as all the staff who booked me in and cared for me on the ward. I can’t praise them highly enough, they were amazing.”
The technology is created by global healthcare company Abbott.
Jonathan Wood, general manager, North Europe at Abbott, said: “We’re really excited to have this software at one of Scotland’s leading centres for patients with heart conditions.
“Our Ultreon 1.0 Software aims to improve both the physician and patient experience through a systematic process that reduces variability and increases accuracy of diagnosis.
“When increased adoption of OCT imaging combines with advanced technology like AI, it allows cardiologists to support coronary stent patients in a more precise and measurable way.”
NHS Golden Jubilee medical director Dr Mark MacGregor said: “This new technology is an excellent advancement in treating coronary heart disease.
“We are delighted to now be offering this to patients across Scotland, and look forward to more exciting innovations to come.”
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