Artificial Intelligence Applications in Cardiology

The No. 1 overarching hot topic at all the medical conferences over the past couple years has been artificial intelligence (AI). What was once science fiction or far-fetched research projects are now starting to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) market clearance. Some AI elements are already being used without clinicians knowing it, being integrated into the backend of cardiology imaging systems and IT reporting systems to help speed workflow. However, beyond the hype of AI, there are practical concerns, including the need for validation, clinical evidence showing AI helps patient care, and the payment system based on how medicine did things 20-30 years ago needs to change. "We have a huge gap between all this AI investment and how we actually take care of patients. We need to integrate it into our care, because if it is not part of how we take care of patients, this isn't going to work," explained John Rumsfeld, M.D., Ph.D., FACC, American College Cardiology (ACC) chief innovation officer, and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.