New MRI Method Offers Non-Invasive Assessment for Heart Failure Severity
Researchers from the University of East Anglia, in collaboration with the Universities of Leeds and Newcastle, have developed a new method to assess the severity of heart failure using a standard cardiac MRI scan. This non-invasive technique aims to replace the current invasive procedure, right heart catheterisation, which involves inserting a tube into the heart to measure blood oxygen levels.
Key Discovery: T2 Mapping for Oxygen Levels
The team developed a method utilizing T2 mapping, a routine MRI measurement, to estimate oxygen levels in blood returning to the heart. This measurement is a critical indicator of how well the heart is functioning.
Blood with varying oxygen levels exhibits different behaviors in a magnetic field, which allowed researchers to create a formula to predict oxygen readings without invasive procedures or blood samples.
Promising Research Findings
The technique was initially tested in 30 patients, where MRI results closely matched readings from invasive catheterization.
Subsequently, the method was applied to 628 individuals with newly diagnosed heart failure, who were followed for approximately three years. The study found a significant correlation:
Patients with healthier oxygen readings via MRI were less likely to experience death or hospitalisation due to their condition.
The accuracy of this MRI-based measure remained consistent even after accounting for factors such as age, co-existing illnesses, and overall heart function.
Benefits and Future Outlook
This innovation could provide a safer and more accessible way to assess advanced heart failure, particularly for patients deemed too frail or high-risk for catheter procedures.
A major advantage is that the method requires no additional hardware or contrast dye and adds only seconds to a standard cardiac MRI. Researchers anticipate that this could expand access to safer heart failure assessments within healthcare systems.
Further studies are planned to confirm these findings across diverse hospital and patient populations and to integrate this measure into clinical decision-making. The research was published in the journal JACC Advances.