An AI-powered platform is helping University of Miami cardiologists simulate treatment strategies and personalize coronary interventions before patients enter the cardiac catheterization lab, marking the first use of Heartflow PCI Navigator in Florida.<\/p>\n
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At the UHealth\u2014University of Miami Health System, interventional cardiologists<\/a> are transforming how they prepare for life-saving heart procedures and bringing a new level of precision,\u00a0efficiency\u00a0and personalization to patient care.<\/p>\n Yiannis Chatzizisis, M.D., Ph.D.,<\/a>\u00a0professor and chief of the\u00a0Division of Cardiovascular Medicine<\/a>\u00a0at the University of Miami Miller School\u00a0of Medicine,\u00a0is\u00a0leading the first use in Florida of the\u00a0Heartflow\u00a0PCI Navigator. The\u00a0AI-powered platform enables physicians to plan percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures before entering the cardiac catheterization lab. The technology\u00a0represents\u00a0a major shift from traditional approaches,\u00a0for which\u00a0critical decisions have historically been made in real time during procedures.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are bringing our patients the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me of cardiovascular technology,\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Chatzizisis. \u201cThis works resonates with the efforts of the Center for Digital Cardiovascular\u00a0Innovations.<\/a> We\u00a0emphasize\u00a0leveraging\u00a0AI simulations to plan procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n A New Era of Pre-Procedural Planning\u00a0<\/p>\n Coronary artery disease<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0caused by plaque buildup that restricts blood flow to the heart\u00a0and\u00a0remains\u00a0a leading driver of heart attacks and other serious cardiac events. PCI procedures are commonly used to reopen blocked arteries. Until recently, physicians often had limited insight into a patient\u2019s coronary anatomy before the intervention began.<\/p>\n Heartflow\u00a0PCI Navigator\u00a0lets physicians create\u00a0a detailed, patient-specific 3D representation of coronary arteries using CT imaging. The process integrates critical data about blood flow, plaque\u00a0composition\u00a0and lesion severity into a single interface.<\/p>\n \u201cThis technology gives us anatomy,\u00a0biology\u00a0and physiology\u00a0in\u00a0a one-stop platform,\u201d\u00a0Dr. Chatzizisis\u00a0said.<\/p>\n By\u00a0providing\u00a0a comprehensive view of disease prior to the procedure, the platform allows physicians to approach each case with a clear, data-driven strategy tailored to the individual patient.<\/p>\n \u201cOur job has always been to give the interventional team the clearest possible picture of a patient\u2019s disease before they ever touch a catheter,\u201d said Gina LaRocca, M.D.,<\/a> professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Miller School and\u00a0UHealth\u00a0director of advanced cardiovascular imaging. \u201cPCI Navigator closes that gap even further,\u00a0turning what we see on CT into an actionable plan for stent placement. It\u2019s the kind of integration that directly improves patient outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n Turning Insight into Precision\u00a0<\/p>\n PCI Navigator informs\u00a0decisions that directly\u00a0impact\u00a0procedural success and patient outcomes. Physicians can evaluate the exact location and severity of blockages and simulate treatment strategies before performing the intervention.<\/p>\n \u201cIt allows us to decide\u00a0on\u00a0stent length, diameter and technique using information we simply did not have\u00a0before,\u201d said Dr. Chatzizisis. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0a totally different\u00a0dimension in procedural planning.\u201d<\/p>\n With these insights available in advance, procedures can be performed more efficiently and with greater confidence. The result is a more predictable experience for both physicians and patients\u00a0that\u00a0potentially reduces\u00a0procedure time and improves\u00a0outcomes.<\/p>\n Advancing Patient-Centered, Data-Driven Care\u00a0<\/p>\n At UHealth and the Miller School, the adoption of PCI Navigator reflects a broader commitment to integrating\u00a0cutting-edge\u00a0technologies into cardiovascular care.\u00a0Dr. Chatzizisis\u00a0has been at the forefront of this effort, leading research and clinical initiatives that combine imaging, artificial\u00a0intelligence\u00a0and interventional cardiology.<\/p>\n His work is closely aligned with emerging concepts such as \u201cdigital twins,\u201d<\/a> where patient-specific data is used to model disease and simulate treatment strategies in advance.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are using digital twins and advanced technologies to plan procedures in a way that maximizes outcomes for our patients,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A First-in-Florida Milestone\u00a0<\/p>\n As one of the first institutions in the country,\u00a0and the first in Florida,\u00a0to adopt\u00a0the\u00a0Heartflow\u00a0PCI Navigator, UHealth continues to build its reputation as a leader in cardiovascular innovation.<\/p>\n The integration of advanced imaging with interventional planning also underscores the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, bringing together\u00a0expertise\u00a0in cardiology,\u00a0radiology\u00a0and computational science.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about delivering smarter, multidisciplinary care and positioning ourselves not just locally, but globally, at the forefront of innovation,\u201d\u00a0Dr. Chatzizisis\u00a0said.<\/p>\n More from the Miller School of Medicine<\/p>\n Tags: cardiac catheterization<\/a>, coronary artery disease<\/a>, Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis<\/a>, heart care<\/a>, heart disease<\/a>, interventional cardiology<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By: Chad Hanson | July 10, 2026 | 7 min. read\u00a0|\u00a0 Share An AI-powered platform is helping University…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335981,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[40437,138350,40441,28,30,29,40443,72501,138351],"class_list":["post-335980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-cardiac-catheterization","tag-coronary-artery-disease","tag-dr-yiannis-chatzizisis","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-heart-care","tag-heart-disease","tag-interventional-cardiology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/img-heartflow-cardivascular-team.jpg\")
Dr. Yiannis Chatzizisis (fourth from right) and the Miller School\u2019s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine is using technology on behalf of their patients.<\/p>\n![\"Infographic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/img-heartflow-infographic-v2.jpg\")
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