ACCELERATE-CMR for Coronary Artery Disease Detection

Coronary heart disease occurs when the blood vessels that supply the heart become narrowed or blocked. It is a leading cause of illness and death in the UK. Accurate diagnosis is important because effective treatments are available, but current tests are invasive, uncomfortable, and carry some risks.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), also known as a heart MRI scan, is a safe and accurate test for diagnosing coronary heart disease. However, access to CMR is limited because standard scans take around 45 to 50 minutes, restricting the number of patients who can be scanned.

Researchers have developed a faster CMR scan that takes only 15 to 20 minutes. Previous studies suggest that this shorter scan provides similar accuracy to the standard scan while improving patient comfort.

This study will recruit 2022 adults with suspected coronary heart disease from hospitals in the UK. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the standard CMR scan or the faster CMR scan.

The study will compare whether the accelerated scan provides similar clinical outcomes to the standard scan and whether patients prefer it. If successful, the accelerated scan could increase access to CMR by allowing more patients to be scanned each day, and enabling more efficient use of NHS resources.