Artificial intelligence-enhanced ECGs may speed heart failure diagnosis and treatment – BioNews Central

When people seek emergency care for shortness of breath, a routine electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI) is better than standard blood tests at determining if the cause is heart failure, according to new research published today in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, an American Heart Association journal. "Determining why someone has shortness of breath is challenging for emergency department physicians, and this AI-enabled ECG provides a rapid and effective method to screen these patients for left ventricular systolic dysfunction," said Demilade Adedinsewo, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and chief fellow in the division of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. The left ventricle supplies most of the heart's pumping power, so it is larger than the other chambers and essential for normal function. In left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD), the left ventricle is weakened and must work harder to maintain adequate blood flow to the body. In a typical year, about 1.2 million people go to emergency departments because they are short of breath.