Superhuman AI Detects Heart Failure and Valve Disease from ECG in Under Two Seconds
Summary
A groundbreaking 'superhuman' AI tool detects heart failure and valve disease from routine ECGs in under two seconds, identifying up to 90% of valve disease cases in a 67,000-patient trial, potentially fast-tracking high-risk patients to life-saving scans months sooner.
Key Points
- A new 'superhuman' AI tool can detect heart failure and valve disease from routine ECG results in under two seconds, identifying up to 81% of heart failure cases and up to 90% of heart valve disease cases in a 67,000-patient US trial.
- The technology, funded by the British Heart Foundation and presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Munich, extracts more data from ECGs than the human eye can see, potentially allowing high-risk patients to be fast-tracked for echocardiogram scans instead of waiting months.
- While the tool cannot definitively diagnose or rule out heart conditions on its own, researchers are now working toward handheld AI-led ECG readers, and separately, AI analysis of five-second facial videos is showing promise in detecting undiagnosed high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.