Astellas Pharma US has launched the Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for Cardiac Radionuclide Imaging application for smartphones. The application is designed to give physicians access to published criteria used to assess the need for a patient to have cardiac radionuclide imaging (RNI).

The app can be downloaded for free and is compatible with the iPhone, BlackBerry and Android platforms. The app was adapted from the ACCF/ASNC/ACR/AHA/ASE/SCCT/SCMR/SNM 2009 Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for Cardiac Radionuclide Imaging (RNI) published in 2009 in Circulation.

The app guides physicians, step-by-step, through the criteria to evaluate patient history, clinical factors, and other important information to receive an instant appropriate use score for RNI. By entering information, physicians will receive a rating between 1 and 9 that will tell them whether the patient indication is appropriate, inappropriate or uncertain.