Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can identify people at risk of a deadly heart condition called arrhythmia. This condition can lead to cardiac arrest and sudden death.
A study, soon to be published in the European Heart Journal, was conducted by researchers from Inserm, Paris Cité University, and the Paris public hospitals group (AP-HP), along with experts from the US.
Using AI, scientists analyzed data from over 240,000 heart monitoring tests (ambulatory electrocardiograms) and found that the system could predict serious arrhythmias up to two weeks in advance in 70% of cases.
Why This Matters
Sudden cardiac death causes over 5 million deaths worldwide each year. By detecting early signs of heart rhythm problems, AI can help doctors take action before a life-threatening event occurs.
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How the AI Works
The AI system was developed by engineers from Cardiologs (a Philips group company) in collaboration with Paris Cité University and Harvard. It works by imitating the functions of the human brain to analyze heart activity.
The researchers studied millions of hours of heartbeat data from patients in six countries: the USA, France, the UK, South Africa, India, and Czechia. The AI was able to detect weak electrical signals in the heart that indicate a higher risk of arrhythmia.
Dr. Laurent Fiorina from the Paris Cardiovascular Research Centre explained that by monitoring a person’s heart activity for 24 hours, they could identify those at risk of developing a serious arrhythmia within two weeks. Without treatment, this could lead to fatal cardiac arrest.
Future Uses of AI in Heart Health
The AI system is still being tested, but it has already shown impressive results. It correctly identified at-risk patients in 70% of cases and those not at risk in 99.9% of cases.
If further developed, this AI could be used in hospitals to monitor high-risk patients. In the future, it could even be built into wearable devices like Holter monitors or smartwatches to help detect heart problems early.
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This breakthrough could save lives by helping doctors take preventive action before serious heart conditions occur.
