Atlantic Health System recently introduced a sophisticated new diagnostic tool designed to uncover cardiovascular issues hidden within the heart’s smallest blood vessels—a move the system says will provide long-awaited answers for patients suffering from unexplained chest pain.
Now available at Overlook Medical Center and arriving soon at Morristown Medical Center, the CoroFlow Cardiovascular System, paired with Abbott’s PressureWire™ X Guidewire, allows cardiologists to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the entire coronary network, moving beyond the limitations of traditional imaging.
For many patients, standard tests like angiograms can be frustratingly inconclusive. While these tests are excellent at spotting major arterial blockages, they often fail to capture issues in the heart’s microvasculature—the tiny vessels that supply the vast majority of the heart muscle’s blood flow.
This can lead to a condition known as Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction (CMD), where patients experience chronic, recurrent chest pain (angina) despite having “clear” results on traditional tests.
“More than half of patients who are referred for angiograms for the evaluation of chest pain do not have significant coronary artery disease,” interventional cardiologist Dr. Lindsay Elbaum, who recently joined the cardiology team at Overlook said. “Many may have coronary microvascular dysfunction or coronary vasospasm.”
The CoroFlow system uses real-time pressure and temperature data collected by the wireless PressureWire™ X Guidewire. By measuring blood flow through the heart’s smallest vessels, physicians can now pinpoint functional abnormalities that were previously impossible to see.
For patients, this technology offers two major benefits:
- A clear path to treatment: An accurate diagnosis allows doctors to move from trial-and-error symptom management to targeted, effective treatment strategies.
- Peace of mind: In cases where the results are negative for heart issues, the comprehensive nature of the test provides patients with the certainty that their chest pain originates from a non-cardiac source.
CMD is a condition that disproportionately impacts women, who are often inordinately affected compared to men. Elbaum emphasized that the adoption of this system is a major win for equitable care.
“The CoroFlow Cardiovascular System can definitely be an important new tool in improving heart health among women,” she added.
Medical professionals encourage patients to be aware of the signs of CMD, especially if they have been told their heart arteries look healthy despite ongoing symptoms. Common indicators include:
- Chronic angina (chest pain or tightness).
- Symptoms that persist despite a negative stress test or previous cardiac interventions like stenting.
- Chest pain mistaken for indigestion that does not resolve with medication.
- Persistent chest pain, particularly in women, even when angiograms appear normal.
