HeartSmart brings noninvasive cardiovascular disease risk assessment to ODs

ATLANTA – HeartSmart Technologies introduced to the optometry market a new device designed to identify cardiovascular disease risk.

Blaine C. Ung, president of HeartSmart’s Eye Care Division, told PRIMARY CARE OPTOMETRY NEWS here at SECO 2011 that HeartSmart IMTplus uses a noninvasive ultrasound technology that can be administered to patients in the optometrist’s office, allowing the clinician to assess the presence and progression of cardiovascular disease at its earliest stages.

The device, which measures the intima media thickness (IMT), is 510(k) approved and reimbursable. “A carotid Doppler looks at flow; this technology looks at stenosis,” Mr. Ung told PCON. “It gives visual confirmation of hard and soft plaque.

“There are more than 200 CPT codes for ultrasound,” he added.

A technician can perform the test in less than 10 minutes, he said. The right and left carotid arteries are scanned, and the images are sent over the Internet to an evaluation center. A consumer-friendly report is provided in less than 48 hours.

The company provides a laptop and the ultrasound system. “The specialized software and hardware is in the laptop,” Mr. Ung said. “If the doctor already has an ultrasound unit, they would just need the laptop.”

Mr. Ung said HeartSmart was founded 4 years ago, and the technology has so far been brought to primary care physicians and cardiologists. He believes cardiologists would support the use of this technology in eye care practitioners’ offices. “It would identify patients that would be slipping through the cracks,” he said.

A half-day training session would be necessary for doctors and technicians, and the office “can be up and running in less than a week,” Mr. Ung said.

“Our goal is to save 1 million lives,” he told PCON. “We want to identify 1 million people who are symptom-free but at risk for cardiovascular disease.”