Advancing cardiac CT technology to drive up standards of care for patients 

Spectral technology advances clinical insights 

Knowing that people suffering from cardiac disease and often don’t realize it until too late, access to early and affordable diagnosis is key to prevention and detection.  At the same time, with ever-increasing demands for imaging, especially in cardiac care, more pressure is being put on understaffed imaging departments. This was clear in our 2024  Future Health Index report, which showed that 75% of cardiology leaders worldwide say staff shortages are impacting patient care at their organizations. (2)

The need for imaging that is first-time right has never been greater, and this is where innovation is playing a critical role – especially in cardiac imaging. Advances such as spectral detector systems provide rich layers of conventional and spectral data to enable accurate diagnoses and expediting treatment times. A recent customer case study from the Hospital Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Spain, documented that using our Spectral CT 7500 had resulted in reducing comprehensive cardiac evaluations including coronary assessment, perfusion, and delayed enhancement studies to under 15 minutes all without increasing radiation dose.

The Spectral CT 7500 drives accessibility for cardiac CT by combining the clinical insights of spectral CT with the motion correction of the smart Precise Cardiac algorithm for improved image quality and clinical information. Remote tools provide less experienced technicians with the ability to call on remote consultation, giving them the support they need to ensure an accurate diagnosis.

Innovation drives a first-time right diagnosis

There is a reliance on CT scans to provide the necessary insights - this is owing to the growing demand for non-invasive imaging tests and procedures. It’s here that integrating AI capabilities can address a clinician's needs for optimal image quality for all patient types and at low dose. This is the result of technological advances that enable traditional CT systems the ability to offer clinical expertise and functionality associated with high-end scanners. Our CT 5300 was designed to make cardiac CT scanning more accessible with fast, high-quality, low-dose cardiac exams incorporating an easy-to-use workflow.

Whereas conventional detectors weren’t originally designed to be used at extremely low dose levels, we designed the industry’s first detector that was built from the ground up to perform at the low dose levels enabled by AI reconstruction. This also enables the use of additional software to leverage AI-based capabilities. Our Philips Cardiac White Paper (3) explores the benefits of combining innovative hardware, software, and artificial intelligence, high-quality screening, diagnostic, and interventional imaging to make cardiac exams more accessible to more patients.

Delivering better cardiac care for more people  

Detecting cardiac disease and diagnosing patients early is critical to ensuring the right treatment and the best possible outcomes. Combining hardware and software solutions is vital to meet the further increase in demand for cardiac CT.

The use of AI for data analysis is already helping to further enhance the role of imaging. In turn, cloud-based informatics platforms enable unprecedented clinical collaboration across distances and subspecialties. Cardiac care teams have more information and support available at their fingertips, across the entire patient journey – all the way from emergency care to diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare in the home.

The role of technology remains vital to increasing access to care - it’s also key to improving efficiency and delivery, and to supporting healthcare teams and departments to reduce waiting times and backlogs. Innovation is at the heart of imaging, and we must continue to embrace and optimize it across the healthcare continuum to enable better cardiac care for more people.