Cardiologists at Kings College Hospital are using AI to make quicker and more accurate decisions while carrying out angioplasties for people with coronary artery disease.

A coronary angioplasty is a procedure o widen the main blood vessels supplying the heart, which have become blocked or narrowed. This usually involves  inserting a short wire mesh tube, called a stent, into the artery during the procedure, which is then left in place to allow blood to flow more freely.

The Ultreon 3.0 Software, developed by Abbott Vascular uses advanced AI techniques during an angioplasty to provide detailed images directly from within a patient’s blood vessel. This allows cardiologists to identify areas of plaque build-up that are likely to break and cause blood clots in real time.

The tech also allows clinicians to assess how blood is flowing through a patient’s blood vessels, increasing accuracy and precision during coronary stent procedures.

The software is currently used in a small number of major heart centres worldwide, and was rolled out at King’s in April 2026. Up to 500 patients are expected to benefit every year.

Dr Nilesh Pareek, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at King’s, said: "Over recent years, we have seen huge strides in the development of AI technology, helping transform cardiac care for patients and improve efficiency, and we’re extremely proud to be leading the way in this field. Up to 500 patients at King’s are expected to benefit from this procedure every year, and this latest step forward enables us to improve our decision making and selection of diseased arteries for stenting procedures.

“By supporting the training of other sites across the U.K. in this new technology, we hope to help make sure as many patients as possible can benefit from this latest AI tool.”