Apricot is an advanced coronary artery assessment tool that can help cardiologists during a catheterisation theatre.
Doctors treating patients with heart disease will soon have a new tool that will help make quick, life-saving decisions during catheterisation theatre.
The new tool, called Apricot, was developed by a team of researchers from The University of Western Australia and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research.
“When treating patients, cardiologists often use many different types of images to see the problem,” said A/Professor Barry Doyle, from UWA’s School of Engineering and the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, who led the development of this tool.
Apricot provides tri-dimensional visualisation of diseased arteries, helping cardiologist make decision during procedures like stenting. The tool was recently named a finalist in the WA Innovator of the Year 2021 Awards.
“The software then performs engineering simulations, similar to what would be used in oil and gas pipelines, to update the images with this new information,” A/Prof Doyle said in a press release.
According to A/Prof Doyle, about one in three Australians who had a heart attack and were treated in hospital, either died or returned to hospital following another heart attack within three years.
The hope is to improve these statistics by implementing Apricot in real-time settings, helping clinicians make better decisions while treating patients in the hospital.
“We hope this new information will reduce the grim statistics, leading to better outcomes for the patient and savings for the hospital, as unexpected returns are very costly.”
The WA Innovator of the Year 2021 winners will be announced at the November 3 awards ceremony.