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FirstHealth enhances cardiac imaging through new partnership with Cleerly

By Staff Report, posted May 7, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com

Dr.  Ardhanari

FirstHealth of the Carolinas is enhancing its cardiac imaging program with a partnership with Cleerly, a leader in artificial intelligence-driven cardiovascular imaging. This collaboration gives patients better access to customized imaging.

The new collaboration will be led by cardiologist Sivakumar Ardhanari, M.D., the medical director of FirstHealth’s cardiac imaging program. Using FDA-cleared, AI-based algorithms applied to coronary CT angiography (CCTA) scans, Cleerly provides a comprehensive assessment of coronary artery plaque, which is the root cause of most heart attacks.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and many heart attacks occur in people who experienced no prior symptoms and were considered low risk by traditional testing. By integrating Cleerly’s advanced analytics into routine cardiac imaging, FirstHealth physicians and providers can identify disease earlier and tailor care to each patient’s unique cardiovascular profile. 

“Traditional risk assessments don’t always tell the full story,” said Dr. Ardhanari in a press release. “By incorporating Cleerly’s advanced coronary analysis into our cardiac imaging program, we’re able to see heart disease at a much earlier stage and with greater precision. This allows us to personalize prevention and treatment strategies better, helping patients take action before a cardiac event occurs.”

The Cleerly coronary analysis transforms standard CCTA images into detailed, quantitative reports that give physicians deeper insight into a patient’s current burden of coronary artery disease.

According to Ardhanari, these insights can be used to guide shared decision-making, monitor disease progression over time and optimize preventive and therapeutic interventions.

For more information about cardiac imaging services at FirstHealth, visit FirstHealth.org/Heart.

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