Philips touts NEJM study on iFR v. FFR
Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) touted health economic data this week from a trial comparing cost-effectiveness between instant wave-free ratio and fractional flow reserve in the guidance of ischemic heart disease treatment.
The company’s 2,492-patient Define Flair trial found that an iFR-guided treatment strategy results in a one-year average cost savings of $896 per patient compared to an FFR-guided strategy – all while delivering comparable patient outcomes.
Philips also reported that patients treated with the use of iFR-guided revascularization strategy had fewer coronary artery bypass graft procedures and fewer subsequent revascularizations compared to patients treated with an FFR-guided strategy.
To treat coronary artery disease, doctors traditionally use FFR to assess the physiology of a suspected coronary blockage to determine the appropriate course of treatment. iFR uses the same equipment as FFR, but does not require the administration of hyperemic agents.
“The findings from Define Flair continue to demonstrate the benefits of iFR, showing that an iFR-guided treatment offers proven outcomes, reduced costs and procedure time, and enhanced patient comfort compared to FFR,” Dr. Manesh Patel, cardiology chief and co-director of the Duke Heart Center at Duke University School of Medicine, said in prepared remarks.
“iFR is not only a faster diagnostic solution, but it also offers the advantage of significantly reduced patient discomfort. By implementing an iFR program at a hospital, this solution can deliver the clinical outcome benefits of physiology-driven PCI, while reducing annual health care costs significantly across the organization,” Dr. Patel added.
“The Define Flair study has provided further clinical validation of iFR and how it is improving the lives of patients and physicians,” Christopher Barys, business leader of Philips’ image guided therapy devices business, said. “An iFR-guided strategy has now been shown to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs for the treatment of coronary artery disease in comparison to an FFR-guided strategy. This is a significant step in our journey to help clinicians decide, guide, treat and confirm the right therapies for their patients, while reducing costs.”
NEXT: Medtronic’s CoreValve TAVR system succeeds at 5-year follow-up