In a study, published today in The European Heart Journal, researchers found that their AI could spot very early changes in the heart’s structure from an ECG, a common test which shows the heart’s electrical activity. The advanced algorithm could detect issues in the heart’s valves – which keep blood flowing in the correct direction through the heart’s chambers – even before the appearance of symptoms or physical changes that can be detected by ultrasound scans.

The advanced algorithm could detect issues in the heart’s valves – which keep blood flowing in the correct direction through the heart’s chambers – even before the appearance of symptoms or physical changes that can be detected by ultrasound scans. The AI could accurately predict who would go on to develop significant leaks in the heart's mitral, tricuspid, or aortic valves – conditions known as regurgitant valvular heart diseases. It was able to correctly identify the risk of a leaky heart valve in the years following the ECG (from high to low) in around 69-79% of cases.

People flagged as ‘high-risk’ by the algorithm were up to 10 times more likely to develop these diseases than those classed as lower risk. According to the team from Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, their AI-enhanced predictions could potentially transform doctors’ approach to treating heart valve disease.

It’s estimated that 41 million people worldwide, including 1.5 million people in the UK, live with these heart valve diseases, which can lead to heart failure, hospital admissions and death. Early diagnosis is key for successful treatment. But the symptoms, which can include shortness of breath, dizziness, feeling tired and having heart palpitations, can be easily confused with other causes, while some patients don’t show any symptoms until the disease is advanced.

Source: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/266333/ai-identify-hidden-heart-valve-defects/#:~:text=An%20AI%20algorithm%20could%20help,just%20based%20on%20ECG%20readings