New MRI System Could Help With Early Heart Failure Detection

The heart’s ability to efficiently use oxygen is a critical indicator of its health, but tests to measure this function have drawbacks that can limit their use. A new MRI system developed at Cedars-Sinai, however, might overcome this challenge, a Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University study indicates.

Published in Science Translational Medicine, the conclusions could one day improve heart failure management. Heart failure occurs when the heart fails to pump enough blood to meet the body’s need for blood and oxygen. Poor use of oxygen by the heart is an early heart failure indicator; the condition affects nearly 7 million U.S. residents.

“Our study shows how MRI could be used to quickly and noninvasively determine heart oxygen use in the clinic,” said Hsin-Jung Yang, Ph.D., director of Cardiac Imaging Research in the Biomedical Research Imaging Institute and corresponding study author. “With further research and development, this advance could unlock new frontiers in early diagnosis, personalized therapy and next-generation treatments for heart failure.”

The current gold standard for measuring heart oxygen use—coronary sinus catheterization—requires threading a thin, flexible tube called a catheter from a patient’s neck or groin into the heart’s main vein. The procedure takes 30 to 60 minutes and involves injecting a contrast dye to guide the catheter, but it is usually too invasive for routine heart oxygen monitoring.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses radio waves, a strong magnet, and a computer to create detailed internal body images. Standard MRI can only produce clear images of the heart, which moves with every beat and every breath, if patients hold their breath at points during the exam. And to use these images to measure oxygen, doctors must take multiple MRI scans—a process that takes several minutes—and draw blood at the same time.

“The system we designed addresses the motion of the heart,” Yang said. “Patients do not need to hold their breath, and it can give precise numbers within three minutes.”

The team proved the accuracy of its MRI method by using it to measure heart oxygen use in patients with and without heart failure, and comparing its readings to readings obtained by heart catheterization.

“Noninvasive testing that detects issues in the heart’s use of oxygen can provide an early warning that heart failure is developing,” Yang noted. “Now that we have promising cardiometabolic therapies lined up, earlier detection may allow us to take steps to prevent and treat the condition.”

David Underhill, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, said the study provides a major contribution toward improving healthcare for heart disease, the leading cause of death.

“Along with its potential for saving lives through early intervention for heart failure, this accessible tool could offer new avenues for cardiac research,” Underhill stated. “It could allow us to study patients who have risk for, but no symptoms of, heart failure without exposing them to catheterization, contrast, or radiation.”

Additional Cedars-Sinai authors include Li-Ting Huang, Chia-Chi Yang, Archana Malagi, Xinqi Li, Ghazal Yoosefian, Xinheng Zhang, Ziyang Long, Xiaoming Bi, Janet Wei, Alan C. Kwan, C. Noel Bairey Merz and Debiao Li. Other authors include Guan Wang, Henghui Zhang, Ranran Zhang, Hao Ho, Yuheng Huang, Michael D. Nelson, Anthony Christodoulou and Rohan Dharmakumar.

This work was supported by grants from National Institutes of Health, The Barbra Streisand Women’s Cardiovascular Research and Education Program to C.N.B.M., The Linda Joy Pollin Women’s Heart Health Program to C.N.B.M.,The Erika Glazer Women’s Heart Health Project to C.N.B.M., The Adelson Family Foundation to C.N.B.M., and the U.S. Department of Defense.

C.N.B.M. serves as a director and holds stock in iRhythm. D. Li, A. G. Christodoulou, J. L. Shaw, Y. Xie, and C. Nguyen are inventors on U.S. patent no. 10,436,871 (“Low-rank tensor imaging for multidimensional cardiovascular MRI”). H. J. Yang and C. C. Yang are inventors on a provisional U.S. patent, U.S. Prov 63/721,228 (PCT/US2025/055499, “Systems and methods for determining oxygen consumption using magnetic resonance imaging”). The other authors declare that they have no competing interests.