What You Should Know
- The Launch: McLaren Health Care has launched a first-of-its-kind cardiovascular screening program in Michigan, partnering with Bunkerhill Health.
- The Tech: The program uses the Carebricks platform to analyze existing routine chest CT scans (originally taken for lung cancer or infection) to detect “incidental” signs of heart disease that human radiologists might not prioritize.
- The Innovation: McLaren is the first system in Michigan—and one of only five in the nation—to deploy AI specifically for aortic valve calcium (iAVC) detection on routine scans, effectively screening patients for heart disease without ordering a new test.
AI-Powered Cardiovascular Screening
Every year, millions of Americans get chest CT scans for reasons unrelated to their heart—a persistent cough, a lung cancer screening, or a suspected infection. Radiologists look at the lungs, report on the infection, and move on. But lurking in the background of those images is often a silent killer: calcium deposits in the heart arteries. McLaren Health Care is no longer letting that data go to waste.
The program targets two specific biomarkers:
- Incidental Coronary Artery Calcium (iCAC): A predictor of heart attacks.
- Incidental Aortic Valve Calcium (iAVC): A sign of aortic stenosis, a condition where the heart valve narrows.
McLaren is the first health system in Michigan to deploy AI for aortic valve calcium detection on routine scans. Previously, spotting these issues required a specialized cardiac CT, which doctors rarely order for asymptomatic patients. Now, the screening happens in the background. If a patient gets a CT for pneumonia, Bunkerhill’s Carebricks platform analyzes the image for heart risks automatically.
“Launching this innovative, AI-powered cardiovascular screening program further reflects our commitment to preventive, data-driven care, especially at a time when heart disease remains the leading cause of death and a growing public health crisis,” said Dr. Samer Kazziha, Chief Medical Director of the McLaren Heart & Vascular Institute. “By using the clinical information already available to us, this program enables us to identify patients who may benefit from earlier follow-up, often before symptoms appear, and ensures they are connected to the right care at the right time — helping to close critical gaps in detection, improving those patients’ long-term outcomes and overall quality of life.”
