What is
AutoCAC™?
The first automated supervised AI solution
For a 1 HR rule-out of patients with chest pain, based on their coronary artery calcium (CAC) score.
130 million visits to the ED every year (CDC)
8%-10% are for symptoms of acute chest pain, up to 13 million visits a year. About 50% of these patients —across all age groups— have a diagnosis of nonspecific chest pain, unrelated to any cardiac condition.
The majority of ED patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) fall below the 1% risk threshold of a 30-day major adverse cardiac event (MACE).
Chest pain & avoidable ED stay
Over 50% of patients with chest pain receive extensive and lengthy evaluations, with a national annual cost of $10-$13 billion.
Rapid screening using coronary artery calcium (CAC) testing with patients who are low- to intermediate-risk can rule-out obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in more than 99% of the patients.
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R/O chest pain in 1 HR with AutoCAC™
Why use AutoCAC™?
Consistent accuracy with 24/7 availability & rapid results in less than 30 minutes.
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HeartLung™ Patient app to perform post-discharge self-report triage and to schedule follow-up outpatient appointments.
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AutoCAC™ leadership team, led by Dr. Matthew Budoff, who has a pioneering record in CAC research.
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Business intelligence from HeartLung™ App data can guide hospital management with ED-related key performance indicators (KPI).
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Positive PR for first-mover advantage to reduce unnecessary ED stay for patients and their relatives.
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HeartLung™ also offers full chest CT report for EDs without overnight or 24/7 tele-radiology capability.
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Incorporating AutoCAC™ can increase ED revenue by over 25%.
What is the AutoCAC™ process?
Your ED Problem:
Overcrowding, congested patient flow, and inefficient use of ED staff, time, and resources.
AutoCAC™ solution
By utilizing AutoCAC™, with a patient CAC Zero score, ED time can be lowered from 20-24 HRS to less than 1 HR.
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AutoCAC™ value propositions
01. Reduce unnecessary ED time
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Significantly decrease ED time and resources for low-risk/low-revenue patients, allowing for focus on high-risk/high-revenue patients.
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Cut the number of patients sent to additional (and excessive) testing or invasive procedures.
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Less staff documentation required regarding test procedure, results, and recommendations for patients with CAC Zero.
02. Reduce potential ED liabilities
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Decrease the risk of misdiagnoses and inadvertent discharge of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
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Ensure that atherosclerotic patients with high CAC scores are not discharged without proper preventative care recommendations.
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Discharge low-risk patients with peace of mind and reduced potential liability; ED is following current AHA/ACC guidelines.
03. Increase ED revenue by >25%
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Efficient patient flow allows for ability to see and treat more patients.
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Low-risk, low-revenue patients with chest pain can be safely discharged to accommodate high-risk, high-revenue cases.
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First-mover advantage can boost positive PR around shorter ED stay for patients and their families.
AutoCAC™
The first automated supervised AI solution
Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring
Traditional Approach is not sufficient
Example:
Chula Vista Hospital and Sharp Grossmont Hospital had been averaging more than 30 hours for patients with low-risk chest pain. By getting labs done faster and decreasing the frequency between draws, they were able to reduce patient time to 20-24 hours. We had to influence physician behavior to shift from traditional to more evidence-based practice.
Reference PMID: 18476659
Critical Path Network: LOS project drops ED stay for low-risk chest pain patients
CAC is recommended in latest Guideline for Evaluation and Diagnosis of Chest Pain
Class of Recommendation
2-a
Level of Evidence
B-R
Recommendation
For patients with stable chest pain and no known CAD categorized as low risk, CAC testing is reasonable as a first-line test for excluding calcified plaque and identifying patients with a low likelihood of obstructive CAD.
Ref. Galati M et al. 2021 AHA/ACC/ASE/CHEST/SAEM/SCCT/SCMR Guideline for the Evaluation and Diagnosis of Chest Pain: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines
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What is calcium score?
A Calcium Score -also called a Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) Score or Agatson Score- detects and measures any calcified plaque in the coronary arteries.
It is a highly specific marker for coronary atherosclerosis, and therefore is useful as a risk-stratification tool when assessing patients with chest pain. CAC is effective regardless of age, gender, and risk factor burden.
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Are there patients who should NOT have an AutoCAC™ scan?
AutoCAC™ is not appropriate for assessment with the following patients:
Unstable Chest Pain
Under 40-years-old
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Known cardiovascular heart disease
The CAC score is a good predictor of a heart attack
The greater the coronary calcium score, the larger the amount of plaque there is in the artery wall, and the greater the risk of a heart attack.
Besides the CAC score, calculations are made to assign a 25th, 50th, 75th, or 90th percentile of the calcium score distribution for a particular age, gender and race.
The app for your patients
Our patient app allows patients to download their AutoCAC™ report within one hour; directs them to schedule their outpatient follow-up; and permits you to keep track of their post-ED health status through a daily EDACS questionnaire.
Patients will be able to:
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View their AutoCAC™ score and share it with their health care providers.
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Complete the daily EDACS questionnaire for documentation and your review.
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Schedule follow-up appointments and receive reminders.
