Pie Medical Imaging announced on March 29 the results of the FAST III trial, which found that revascularization guided by CAAS vFFR is non-inferior to procedures guided by traditional pressure wire-based FFR. The findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2026 Congress and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The FAST III trial compared two methods for assessing intermediate coronary lesions in patients, enrolling 2,235 participants across multiple centers. The study aimed to determine if a less invasive approach using table side vFFR could match outcomes achieved with standard pressure wire-based FFR. Both groups had identical rates of major adverse cardiac events one year after randomization.
Dr. Joost Daemen, principal investigator from Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, said: “The results of FAST III confirm the safety and feasibility of the online use of vFFR as an easy to use minimally invasive tool to guide revascularization in patients with intermediate coronary artery lesions in need of physiological lesion assessment. The technology has the potential to boost the use of physiology, which may increase the prognosis of patients in whom the decision to revascularize intermediate coronary artery lesions is still largely based on eye-balling. The use of vFFR eliminates the need for guiding catheters, invasive coronary artery instrumentation and hyperemic agents with inherent risks and patient discomfort.” Bas Kuppens, CEO at Pie Medical Imaging added: “FAST III marks a defining moment. It confirms angiography-based physiology is non-inferior to conventional pressure wire-based physiology. Additionally, it has demonstrated benefits for care givers and patients by requiring less dose, less contrast agent, and reducing procedure lead time”.
Doris Pommi from Siemens Healthineers said: “The results of the FAST III study mark a significant milestone for cardiovascular care in Europe and for our partnership with Pie Medical Imaging. Its success shows how much we can achieve when we join forces and combine scientific excellence, clinical experience, and industrial innovation. (The patient impact of the study is substantial, we are looking at safer, faster, less uncomfortable coronary assessments with potentially lower costs and wider access to physiologic lesion evaluation.)”
PR Newswire operates globally across more than 170 countries and supports distribution in over 40 languages according to its official website according to PR Newswire. It aims for global reach through partnerships with newsrooms and influencers as detailed on its official site, collaborates with over half a million media outlets worldwide according to PR Newswire, features expert editors offering round-the-clock support as reported by PR Newswire, extends operations widely as noted on its website, and provides services such as AI-enhanced content tools alongside press release distribution as outlined by PR Newswire.
Pie Medical Imaging led this research together with ECRI as sponsor; Cardialysis managed trial services including core laboratory activities.
