Integrating Coronary Artery Calcium Scoring Into Cardiovascular Prevention in Australia

Coronary artery disease is a major cause of death among Australians, yet current risk prediction models often misclassify patients. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring provides a reproducible measure of subclinical atherosclerosis and is one of the strongest predictors of future cardiovascular events, particularly in asymptomatic adults. Although CAC scoring is widely used internationally, its uptake in Australia is constrained by the lack of public reimbursement, conditional guideline recommendations and the potential for access, especially among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Incorporating CAC into national prevention strategies, subsidising scans for appropriate patients and supporting general practitioner use could improve precision and cost-effectiveness in cardiovascular disease prevention.