Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease and a leading cause of death in the United States. However, survival rates can increase with early detection and advanced imaging. Kettering Health is elevating its ability to diagnose and monitor coronary artery disease by offering a first-of-its-kind, FDA-approved fluorine-18 radiopharmaceutical imaging agent called Flyrcado™ (flurpiridaz F18).   

Flyrcado, known scientifically as flurpiridaz F-18, is an injectable radiopharmaceutical imaging agent designed to assess how well the heart functions under stress. The drug offers high quality diagnostic capabilities compared to other imaging drugs due to chemical properties that allow it to produce higher quality images on PET scans.   

“This improved imaging agent allows our care teams to better assess blood flow through the heart, improving our ability to find blockages and step in sooner with lifesaving intervention,” said Dr. Arif Sheikh, medical director of molecular imaging and theranostics at Kettering Health. “Moreover, it will enable us to explore other areas of heart disease that could not be evaluated by our current testing methods, allowing us to revolutionize our approach to treatment, doing it on par with the best institutions in the country, while still making sure it is readily available to our patients here in the Dayton area.” 

Kettering Health now joins a select number of health systems in the country offering access to this cutting-edge diagnostic tool aimed at slowing the progression of coronary artery disease and improving patient care through innovations in imaging.