Heart MRI scans could help thousands avoid invasive procedure

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By Storm Newton, PA Media

Offering patients suspected of having a certain type of heart attack MRI scans could help thousands avoid an invasive procedure, a study has claimed.

Academics from the University of Oxford explored the approach in patients who had suffered a non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) heart attacks.

There are about 50,000 hospital admissions a year for this type of heart attack, according to researchers.

It is recommended these patients have a coronary angiogram within 72 hours of hospital admission.

However, the study found about a fifth of patients could avoid the procedure if an MRI is carried out beforehand.

Some 100 patients admitted to hospital with a suspected NSTEMI heart attack were recruited for the Oxford Acute Myocardial Infarction (OxAMI) study.

They were given a heart MRI scan before the angiogram, with clinicians making their diagnosis separately and without knowing the results of the other procedure.

Of the group, 27 patients did not have any major narrowing of the arteries.