Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the top killers in the world. Early and cost effective diagnosis of CHD can saves lives and reduce the economic impact of morbidity. This is especially true in developing countries including India.
We are developing a cost-effective alternative to the current expensive and invasive measurement in collaboration (through GCRF funding) with IIT Madras. The proposed software will make the diagnosis faster, safer, and more affordable than current testing protocols.
Building on previous work with IIT Madras, which included a workshop to scope the topic in 2016, visits to initiate collaboration in 2017, and the appointment of Professor Nithiarasu as Adjunct Professor in 2018, a team from Swansea University continued to visit and develop relationships with IIT Madras.
There has been successful delivery of very basic software for online calculation of fractional flow reserve using a web interface. The software is in development and is almost ready for testing; it will be able to test for heart disease severity in a sustainable, cost-effective, non-invasive way.
Currently, fractional flow reserve test is unaffordable for the majority of the population of developing nations. This means that often patients are not treated in a timely fashion. The test in development will be more affordable and so will enable more patients to be diagnosed. The non-invasive nature of this test means that damage caused by invasive measurement is eliminated.
Using funding from GCRF, the team aim to continue to work with stakeholders and collaborators across the world to test and develop the software. The team will also undertake further research and share findings at Indian conferences including mainstream conferences in order to raise awareness of the work and software to researchers in India.
Acknowledgement: Dr Jason Carson, UKRI fellow; Neeraj Kavan Chakshu; PhD student
