HeartFlow FFR-CT clearance (2014)
HeartFlow won FDA clearance for software that calculates blood-flow significance of coronary blockages from a standard CT scan. It promised to replace an invasive catheter test for many heart patients. The clinical case was strong from the start.
Cardiologists welcomed the tool, but uptake depended on payers agreeing to cover it.
Adoption grew over the following decade as reimbursement expanded, and the company reached a public listing in 2024.
Like CT:VQ, it extracts functional data from an ordinary CT scan. Its history shows clearance is the start, and reimbursement decides how fast doctors actually switch.
