A new study suggests that Artificial Intelligence can help predict whether a person has a Heart Attack 10 years in advance.
Scientists stated that the new tool could help prevent thousands of Heart attacks and deaths by the NHS if it is implemented.
The University of Oxford study looked at ways of improving the accuracy of CT scans of the heart, which are used to detect blockages and narrowing of the arteries. The tool was able to accurately predict thousands heart attacks.
Professor Charalambos Anthonydes, chair of cardiovascular medicine for the British Heart Foundation, and director of the acute imaging and interventional center at the University of Oxford said that the study showed some patients with chest pain who were sent home after being treated in hospital have a higher risk of having a stroke in the following decade, despite the fact they may not show any signs of disease. He said: “Here, we showed that giving clinicians an accurate picture can change, and possibly improve, the treatment course for many heart patients.”
We hope this AI tool is soon implemented in the NHS to help prevent thousands of unnecessary deaths due to heart attacks each year.
The government has announced that NHS Trusts can apply to the government for a £21million pot to fund AI tools, such as those used to aid in medical imaging or treatment decisions.
According to the BHF which funded the study, approximately 350,000 people have cardiac scans in the UK each year. It said that many patients die from heart attacks because they fail to detect small, undetectable narrowings of the heart.
Researchers analysed data from more than 40,000 patients who underwent routine scans in eight UK hospitals. The AI tool was then tested on 3,393 additional patients over a period of almost eight years.
The researchers found that those with “significant” artery narrowing were more likely than others to suffer a heart attack. However, twice as many people who had no significant arteries narrowings suffered heart attacks.
The team created an AI program using data on the changes in fat around inflamed arterial walls, which could indicate the risk of heart attacks.
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani said that the research “shows how AI-based technologies can be used to identify those at greatest risk for future heart attacks”.
“Too many people die needlessly from heart attacks every year,” he said. We must harness AI’s potential to guide patient care and ensure that the NHS has the tools to support it.
We hope this technology will eventually be implemented across the NHS and help save the lives each year of thousands who would otherwise go untreated.