AI revolutionizes heart medicine: This is how your heart is determined!

AI revolutionizes heart medicine: This is how your heart is determined!

researchers at the University of Göttingen have made remarkable progress in cardiac medicine by using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze electrocardiograms (EKGS). Philip Hempel and his team from the working group "Biosignal processing" published their results in the journal "NPJ Digital Medicine". Your goal is to determine the individual “heart” and thus to identify cardiovascular diseases more effectively.

Traditionally, diagnoses of cardiovascular diseases are traditionally based on the analysis of laboratory parameters, blood pressure and lifestyle factors. EKGS that measure the electrical activity of the heart offer valuable information on acute and chronic heart disease as well as age -related changes. Research shows in particular that two factors influence the “heart): the hypertrophy of the heart chambers by stiffer blood vessels and the increase in connective tissue in the heart.

artificial intelligence as a diagnostic aid

By analyzing ECG data over a longer period of time, subtle changes in the heart structure and function can be recognized. A AI analysis system is used here, which was trained with ECG data by Brazilian patients. This data was supplemented by EKG results from participants in the German "Pomeriana" health study, which includes more than 15,000 people aged 20 to 79.

A central result of the study shows that the AI ​​system is able to identify people with a 1.63-way increased risk of death who are associated with an accelerated heart. In particular, patients whose ECG age was more than eight years above their actual age, had a significantly higher risk of mortality or cardiovascular diseases. In contrast, patients with an EKG age who was at least eight years under their chronological age had a lower risk.

The current status of the AI ​​in medicine

The use of artificial intelligence in medicine is considered revolutionary. According to Herzmedizin.de , Prof. David Duncker, Head of Hanover Heart Rhythm Center, which Ki not only Diagnostics will change, but also offers significant relief for doctors. In addition to the EKG analysis, KI can also be used in the automatic analysis of imaging methods such as ultrasound and MRI.

Currently, the use of AI in medicine is often limited to studies and test runs, since products with AI have to be scientifically checked. Nevertheless, there are already first applications available in practice. AI has the potential to significantly facilitate the doctor's work by rapidly evaluating patient data and the detection of patterns as well as irregularities.

In cardiology, it is particularly evident that AI provides support in the diagnosis and analysis of EKGs. In addition, it can make effective decisions, for example when recognizing heart attacks, and enables continuous monitoring in telemedicine by filtering false alarms.

These developments illustrate how AI is increasingly integrated into cardiac medicine in order to enable early identification of risk patients and ultimately to improve treatment results.