Scotland backs HeartFlow FFRCT as an option to avoid invasive tests

SHTG advised NHSScotland in September 2021 that HeartFlow FFRCT may reduce the need for invasive coronary angiography and save costs. It judged the supporting evidence to be of limited quality.

  • Not rated a person

    SHTG reports no figures and judged the evidence for fewer invasive tests to be of limited quality.

Depth runs from 1, a convenience or time saved, to 5, a life or a livelihood preserved.

Status
Partly reported benefit.
Evidence

foundstudiedreportedclaimed

Two independent assessment reports support the benefit.

Compared with

Standard care for assessing coronary artery disease after CT coronary angiography. Measured.

The system’s part
Not isolated. SHTG adapted NICE's guidance and reports no comparison of its own. It describes HeartFlow FFRCT as coronary physiologic simulation software and does not say that it learns from data. In May 2026, SHTG wrote that HeartFlow used computational fluid dynamics to estimate CT-FFR when this advice was published.
Later
Persisted, 1 May 2026. In May 2026, SHTG reported that NHS Western Isles had routinely used an AI-enabled version of HeartFlow since 2021. It relays the board's report that HeartFlow helped avoid unnecessary invasive procedures. SHTG found no published data from Scottish boards.
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Benefit type
Improved Task Accuracy
System
HeartFlow FFRCT
Made by
HeartFlow, Inc.
Used by
NHSScotland health boards, with a pilot at NHS Western Isles from December 2020
Where
Scotland, United Kingdom
Stage
In a pilot
Date
, when the source was published
Kind
Aggregate result
Broad benefit
Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information, Analyzing Data or Information
Collections
Scrutiny and findings, Cross-border records
Last revised
1 November 2026

Sources

  1. Assessment report, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Scottish Health Technologies Group, Healthcare Improvement Scotland. HeartFlow FFRCT for estimating fractional flow reserve from coronary CT angiography: Recommendation for NHSScotland (SHTG Adaptation of NICE guidance). Published 13 September 2021. Archived copy of 27 April 2025.

    Compared with standard care, using HeartFlow FFRCT may reduce the requirement for invasive coronary angiography (ICA) to further assess patients with CAD, though noting that the quality of supporting clinical-effectiveness evidence was limited.

  2. Assessment report, by authors with no tie to the system.

    Scottish Health Technologies Group. SHTG Adaptation: HeartFlow FFRCT for estimating fractional flow reserve from coronary CT angiography. 3 September 2021, Scottish Health Technology Council considerations.

    The Council noted that ICA carries a risk of adverse events, and recognised the potential opportunity for HeartFlow FFRCT to reduce the need for invasive procedures.

Details

AI system

Workflow

HeartFlow FFRCT used data from an existing CT coronary angiography scan, so patients did not need to attend for the test. Clinicians used FFRCT alongside other diagnostic tools to decide who needed invasive angiography.

Follow-up

Conditions for replication

Scans come from a 64-slice or better CT scanner with adequate image quality. Health boards have access to CT coronary angiography, which varied across Scotland.

Entry details

Sector

Healthcare.

Purpose

HeartFlow built HeartFlow FFRCT to calculate fractional flow reserve from coronary CT angiography, so that clinicians can judge which narrowed arteries limit blood flow without an invasive test.

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model, release, provider, role, configuration, inputs and outputs, autonomy, human oversight, AI contribution, beneficiaries, reach, distribution and access, duration, every measurement question, every money question, ownership and control, dependencies, cross-border connections, geopolitical implications, replication attempts, availability, institutional decision, grounds, action and result, success criterion, every evidence question, observed or intended, alternative assessments, related entries, other identifiers, category mappings.

Cite this record

Peter H. Vartanian. (2026). Scotland backs HeartFlow FFRCT as an option to avoid invasive tests (AIBD-1123). Artificial Intelligence Benefits Database, edition of 1 November 2026. https://petervartanian.xyz/aibd/records/AIBD-1123.html (archived at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/AADSII, version 7.0)

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