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Published on June 24, 2026

Cone Health Uses AI to Improve Heart Procedure Accuracy, Deliver Better Results for Patients

Health system joins national study aimed at improving patient results, reducing repeat procedures.

Key facts

  • Cone Health is using HeartFlow PCI Navigator to plan heart procedures
  • Helps doctors determine stent size, placement and angles before procedures begin
  • Goal: better results for patients and fewer repeat procedures
  • Cone Health is participating in the NAVIGATE PCI study

 

GREENSBORO— Cone Health cardiologists are using artificial intelligence to plan heart procedures before patients reach the operating table. It is a major shift that could improve accuracy and deliver better results for patients.

Why it matters: Nearly every medical procedure starts with a complete, highly detailed plan. Interventional cardiology hasn’t been able to — until now.

Traditionally, cardiologists determine stent size, placement and angles in real time, relying on imaging and experience during procedures to open blocked arteries. While effective, that approach can occasionally miss the mark, leading to stent failure and the need for additional procedures.

Two doctors working on a heart patient

Heart Catheterization

What’s new? Cone Health is using AI built into its HeartFlow platform, which allows doctors to see the heart in three dimensions and plan procedures with greater precision.

  • Allows cardiologists to select optimal stent size, placement and angles ahead of time
  • Transforms PCI (procedures to open blocked arteries, often with stents) from an on-the-spot decision into a planned intervention

What they’re saying: “More information means more success,” said Dr. Wesley O’Neal, a Cone Health cardiologist. “And more information means fewer patients will have to return to have stents redone.”

“If your doctor has all the necessary information about you ahead of time, who wouldn’t be up for that?” O’Neal added. “This is going to be the standard of care going forward.”

Driving better results for patients: Planning procedures in advance is expected to:

  • Improve accuracy of stent placement
  • Reduce complications and repeat procedures
  • Shorten procedure times
  • Lower radiation exposure for patients and care teams

Research in action: Cone Health is the first health system in the state to join the NAVIGATE PCI study, which will evaluate how AI-assisted planning impacts procedure accuracy, patient results and repeat procedure rates.

Cone Health was the first in the state to use advanced HeartFlow technology that analyzes plaque and blood flow to guide treatment decisions.

The bottom line: By combining 3D heart visualization with AI-driven insights, Cone Health is helping usher in a new era of precision, proactive heart care—one where technology meshes with experience.

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