Cardiac imaging registry expands to include former NBA, NHL players
Heartflow, the California-based medtech company known for its AI-powered cardiac imaging technologies, is working to protect the heart health of former NBA and NHL players through the expansion of its GAMEFILM Registry.
GAMEFILM, developed to help cardiologists learn more about the prevalence and severity of cardiovascular disease in professional athletes, previously launched by only enrolling former NFL players. Now, however, the registry has opened up to include former professionals from the worlds of basketball and hockey as well. Heartflow hopes to enroll up to 300 retired athletes, evaluating each one with Plaque Analysis, the company’s advanced coronary CT angiography (CCTA) technologies.
“Expanding our GAMEFILM Registry to include NBA and NHL athletes marks a pivotal moment for Heartflow, demonstrating our mission to revolutionize how heart disease is diagnosed, measured and managed,” John Farquhar, president and CEO of Heartflow, and a former NFL player himself, said in a statement. “Heartflow’s precision diagnostic capability will not only advance the health and safety of these athletes, but also generate invaluable insights that will benefit cardiovascular care more broadly.”
Former NBA player Muggsy Bogues, who also acted in the 1996 sports comedy Space Jam, was one of the first former NBA players who joined GAMEFILM and underwent a CCTA evaluation.
“My 14-year career as a professional athlete taught me the importance of staying on top of your health, especially heart health,” Bogues explained. “I joined Heartflow’s GAMEFILM Registry as soon as I heard about it because I’ve lost too many friends to cardiovascular disease. Many of us push our bodies to the limits, and sometimes the signs of underlying issues can be overlooked. Heartflow Analysis offers an easy way to get a precise picture of what's going on inside, without invasive procedures. I'm excited to see this technology benefit more athletes, giving them and their doctors a powerful tool for proactive heart care."
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.