Physicians at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (Katz) have developed an innovative screening tool that could dramatically improve early detection of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a serious and often underdiagnosed form of heart failure. Led by Anjali Vaidya, MD, FACC, FASE, FACP, Co-Director of the Advanced Pulmonary Hypertension, Right Heart Failure & Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) Program at Temple University Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Katz, the research team integrated the Virtual Echocardiography Screening Tool (VEST) into electronic medical records (EMRs). This allows for automatic calculation of PAH risk scores, facilitating the identification of patients who may require timely specialist care. In a study involving nearly 5,000 patients, the EMR-based VEST algorithm proved to be both accurate and efficient, often identifying high-risk individuals months before they were referred for expert evaluation. Already in use at Temple, the tool is now being shared with institutions around the world to support earlier diagnosis and improved outcomes for patients with PAH.

Read the full press release on Temple Health's website.