Research: Two million U.S. adults at risk of heart attack from vulnerable plaque

VANCOUVER, British Columbia Research from an international market research firm indicated that more than 2 million adults in the United States run the risk of heart attack from vulnerable plaque.

IData Research, which specializes in the medical device, pharmaceutical and dental industries, said in its research report that the potential market for vulnerable plaque screening and treatment was $3.7 billion.

“The key to growth in the vulnerable plaque market is the development and regulatory approval of screening technologies,” IData CEO Kamran Zamanian said. “Currently, IVUS, OCT and spectroscopy are vying to become the dominant method of screening used to diagnose vulnerable plaque.”

Vulnerable plaques are deposits of fat on the walls of the arteries that are a leading cause of sudden heart attacks.