HJAR Jul/Aug 2022

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  JUL / AUG 2022 55 Doug Borg, MD Invasive and Nuclear Cardiologist CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute EACHMORNING, the cardiologists and sur- geons at CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute con- fer, often over coffee, about the best course of treatment for our patients. We not only understand but wholeheartedly believe that a truly collaborative approach to patient care leads to the best possible outcomes for our patients. This way, even if a patient only knows one of us as “their doctor,” they still benefit from all our combined years of ex- perience. In recent years, however, we began inviting another voice to those early morn- ing collaborations in the form of HeartFlow Analysis. HeartFlow Analysis is a first-of-its-kind, non-invasive technology to aid physicians in the initial diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common form of heart disease. The advanced technology le- verages patient data and deep learning to create a personalized, digital 3D model of the patient’s coronary arteries. It then uses powerful computer algorithms to simulate blood flow and assess the impact of block- ages on blood flow to the heart. CAD is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. It de- velops when the arteries leading to the heart narrow or become blocked, which may lead to a reduction in blood flow to the heart, causing chest pain, heart attacks, and death. There is no perfect test for CAD, and we are constantly striving to find the right test for each individual. In some cases, though, more than half of patients suspected of having CAD had to undergo an invasive coronary angio- gram only to discover there was no need for intervention. The question is: how can we make this process better? Without resorting to poten- tially invasive procedures commonly used to determine whether a patient would need yet another invasive procedure to restore blood flow, HeartFlowAnalysis gives us the infor- mation we need to identify the extent of an arterial blockage within hours. This allows us to put our patients first and help determine the right treatment for a patient in a much more convenient, as well as noninvasive, way. Incorporating new technologies to expand treatment options for our patients and stay on the cutting edge of cardiology is incredibly important at CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute. HeartFlow Analysis, however, is truly game changing. It helps our cardiologists identify which patients do and do not need invasive treatments, which has a ripple effect through- out their care. That’s why we became the first healthcare provider in Central Arkansas to adopt this technology and incorporate it into the broader conversation about patient care. As exciting as the technology is, it’s also important to understand that it doesn’t re- place medical expertise, the doctor-patient relationship, or those early mornings where our colleagues confer over coffee on the best treatment recommendations for particular cases. Instead, it becomes part of those con- versations. It’s also important to know this technology is currently only indicated for new diagnosis of CAD. Every patient is dif- ferent, and every case is unique, but with the incredible amount of information HeartFlow Analysis provides us without putting our pa- tients through unnecessarily invasive tests, we believe we can continue to deliver the quality, compassionate care they truly de- serve. n Clayton Douglas Borg, MD, is a cardiologist at CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute specializing in CT cardiology, invasive cardiology, and nuclear cardiology. Borg earned a medical degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and holds board certifications in cardiovascular disease, nuclear cardiology, and adult echocardiography. He currently leads CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute’s implementation of HeartFlow Analysis to better diagnose coronary artery disease in patients without the need for invasive tests. Borg sees patients at CHI St. Vincent clinics in Little Rock, Hot Springs, Hot Springs Village, and Clinton. Photos courtesy of HeartFlow, Inc. “HeartFlow Analysis is a first-of-its kind, non-invasive technology to aid physicians in the initial diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common form of heart disease.”