Cardiac Imaging Study Shows PROMISE

FARMINGTON — The Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center has been chosen to be a test site for a groundbreaking clinical trial. The National Institutes of Health is studying the use of cardiac imaging to diagnose problems associated with chest pain, the most common clinical cardiology problem.

The Prospective Multi-center Imaging Study for the Evaluation of Chest Pain, or PROMISE study, is the first randomized imaging trial in the history of cardiology. It seeks to enroll 10,000 patients at more than 200 sites throughout the United States.

The UConn Health Center was the first site in Connecticut to join this study, with Dr Erick Avelar, the Calhoun Cardiology Center’s director of noninvasive cardiac imaging, serving as principal investigator.

“Computed tomography of the coronary artery, also known as a cardiac CT, is hypothesized to yield better results than functional testing such as an EKG or stress test, but it is not the current standard of care and generally not covered by insurance,” Dr Avelar said. “For this study, the NIH is covering the cost of the cardiac CT, so patients don’t have to pay out of pocket.”

The targeted study population is chest pain patients with low to intermediate probability of significant obstructive coronary artery disease, including men 55 and older and women 65 and older. Men as young as 45 and women as young as 50 also may be eligible, depending on their individual risk factors.

“Coronary CT has costs, exposes patients to radiation, and is not the current standard of care. For these reasons, these studies are generally not covered by insurance,” Dr Avelar said. “For this study, which assesses the value of this information in relation to the risks and costs, the NIH is covering the cost of the cardiac CT.”

More information about the PROMISE study is available at 860-679-3666. More information about the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center is available at http://heart.uchc.edu.