CaRi-Heart for predicting cardiac risk in adults with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD)

Status:

In progress

Technology type:

Diagnostic

Decision:

Selected

Reason for decision:

Anticipate the topic will be of importance to patients, carers, professionals, commissioners and the health of the public to ensure clinical benefit is realised, inequalities in use addressed, and help them make the best use of NHS resources

Description:

CaRi-Heart is a medical imaging analysis software designed to predict cardiac risk in people with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD occurs when the arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed or damaged, which can cause chest pain or lead to more serious cardiac events. Inflammation in these arteries is linked to a higher risk of plaque rupture, which can block the artery and lead to a heart attack or death. CaRi-Heart is intended for people having CT coronary angiography (CTCA) as part of their chest pain assessment. It uses artificial intelligence to analyse standard CTCA images and estimate the level of inflammation in the coronary arteries. CTCA scans on their own do not identify this inflammation. CaRi-Heart measures the perivascular fat attenuation index (FAI), which reflects inflammatory changes in the fat tissue surrounding the coronary arteries. The software combines information from the scan with clinical risk factors to estimate long-term cardiac risk. The technology may add information to support clinical decision-making and provide a more informed assessment of cardiac risk, which could help improve patient outcomes. This topic has been selected as an update to NICE’s early value assessment on CaRi-Heart for predicting cardiac risk in suspected coronary artery disease (https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/hte4/). It aims to evaluate new clinical and cost-effectiveness evidence to inform updated recommendations on the use of this technology in the NHS.

Provisional Schedule

Professional and Patient Expert recruitment closes:

20 January 2026

Scoping workshop:

17 February 2026

Scope published:

03 March 2026

Project Team

Project lead

Lee Berry

Email enquiries

If you have any queries please email HealthTech2@nice.org.uk

Timeline

Key events during the development of the guidance:

For further information on our processes and methods, please see our HealthTech programme manual.