Doctors often use a test called right heart catheterization to check how serious a person’s heart failure is. This test involves placing a thin tube into the heart to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood.
While the information it provides is important, the procedure is invasive, uncomfortable, and carries risks—especially for older or fragile patients.
But now, a new discovery could offer a much safer and easier option. Researchers from the University of East Anglia, working with teams at the University of Leeds and Newcastle University, have found a way to estimate the same oxygen levels using a standard MRI scan. Their method may eventually replace the need for inserting a tube into the heart.
The study, published in the journal JACC Advances, suggests this approach could help many people avoid the risks of the traditional test.
Professor Pankaj Garg, who led the research, explained the importance of this work. Heart failure affects hundreds of thousands of people in the UK. When the heart is weak, it struggles to pump enough blood. Doctors need detailed information about blood flow and oxygen levels to understand how bad the condition is and to choose the right treatment.
Professor Garg, a cardiologist at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said their goal was to find a safer way to get this vital information—especially for people who might be too sick to undergo an invasive test. Their breakthrough could allow doctors to check on patients more often, with less risk.
The team developed a method using something called T2 mapping, a regular part of many heart MRI scans. They discovered that oxygen in the blood changes how the blood behaves in a magnetic field. By measuring this reaction, they were able to create a formula that predicts the amount of oxygen in the blood—without needing a blood sample or catheter.
First, the researchers tested their method on 30 patients. They found that the MRI-based results matched closely with those from the traditional catheter test. Then they studied 628 more people who had recently been diagnosed with heart failure. The team tracked these patients over three years.
They found that patients with healthier oxygen levels on the MRI scan were much less likely to die or end up in the hospital due to their heart condition. Even when taking age, other illnesses, and overall heart function into account, the new MRI method still worked well.
Professor Garg said one of the most important signs of advanced heart failure is how much oxygen is left in blood returning to the right side of the heart. Until now, getting this number meant using a catheter. But their study shows it can be estimated safely and non-invasively using a routine MRI scan.
Dr. Peter Swoboda from the University of Leeds added that this breakthrough could turn a regular MRI into a much more powerful tool. It allows doctors to get important information without needing to insert a tube into the heart.
Dr. Gareth Matthews from the University of East Anglia pointed out that this method doesn’t require any special equipment or added dye. It only takes a few extra seconds during a normal scan, making it easy to use in hospitals across the NHS.
The team says more research is needed to confirm their findings in other hospitals and with more types of patients. They also want to learn how doctors can best use this new measurement in real-world care.
If future studies support these results, this new MRI-based method could make heart failure testing safer, faster, and more comfortable for thousands of patients.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm.
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