McLaren Launches AI Tool to Detect Hidden Heart Disease Risk from Prior CT Scans

The AI tool is designed to detect early warning signs in CT scans originally ordered for unrelated conditions, to identify patients who may not yet be under cardiac care but show measurable indicators of heart disease.

McLaren HealthCare has launched a new AI tool that reviews previously performed CT chest scans to identify patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. The system is designed to detect early warning signs in scans originally ordered for unrelated conditions.

The initiative has focused on identifying patients who may not yet be under cardiac care but show measurable indicators of heart disease.

The AI tool, developed in collaboration with Bunkerhill Health, has been deployed across all 12 McLaren hospitals in Michigan. It examines chest CT scans performed for non-cardiac reasons such as trauma, infection, or lung conditions.

By applying advanced algorithms, the platform detects and quantifies coronary artery calcium and aortic valve calcification, two established markers linked to coronary heart disease and aortic stenosis.

Dr Samer Kazziha, McLaren Health Care's Chief Medical Director of the McLaren Heart & Vascular Institute, said, “We expect about 8 to 10 percent of patients who undergo CT scan through the system will end up being patients who have risk factors such as elevated coronary calcium score or aortic valve calcium score, who have not seen a primary care physician or cardiologist.”

That percentage could translate to roughly 3,000 patients each year within the McLaren network. Once the AI tool flags a case, both primary care providers and patients will be notified so that follow-up evaluation and preventive measures can be initiated.

Dr Justin Klamerus, McLaren Health Care Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, emphasized, “As these algorithms are run and identify patients, the key and our ferment hope is that we can be partners with our patients to make sure that risk factors are mitigated, that interventions are given to help control the things that help prevent patients from ultimately dying from heart disease or suffering from the morbidity associated with heart disease, stroke” or other complications.”

By embedding the AI tool into routine imaging workflows, McLaren is seeking to move cardiovascular care upstream, detecting disease signals before symptoms emerge and before patients enter the cardiology pathway.

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