THE world's first bespoke CT cardiac scanner that will allow doctors to diagnose a heart attack before it happens has been installed at a Northern Ireland hospital.
Doctors at the Ulster hospital in Dundonald have spoken of the benefits of the pioneering equipment which can take a picture of a heart in a fraction of a second - and means patients can be sent immediately for surgery or for coronary stent procedures.
Previously, patients with suspected heart disease faced lengthy assessments such as invasive angiograms - where dye is pumped through a person's arteries to determine blockages - and tread mill tests.
Dr Patrick Donnelly, a consultant cardiologist at the Ulster, said the new scanner "changes the rules" and will provide information that could prevent almost a third of heart attacks.
"The large number of people presenting with chest pain far outweighs our capacity," he said.
"The scanner removes diagnostic uncertainty and will allow us to evaluate patients quickly and in greater detail.
We want to shift towards prevention and maintaining heart health rather than managing heart disease, and the development of this scanner is a major milestone along this path."
Known as the CardioGraphe, the breakthrough technology creates a high quality 3D image of the heart's coronaries, valves, chambers and myocardium in the space of one heartbeat.
It was developed by Dublin based GE Healthcare and Arineta Ltd of Israel, in collaboration with the Ulster Hospital.
