The NHS has rolled out a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool which can detect heart disease in just 20 seconds while patients are in an MRI scanner. A British Heart Foundation (BHF) funded study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance concluded the machine analysis had superior precision to three clinicians. It would usually take a doctor 13 minutes or more to manually analyse images after an MRI scan has been performed. The technology is being used on more than 140 patients a week at University College London (UCL) Hospital, Barts Heart Centre at St Bartholomew's Hospital, and Royal Free Hospital. Later this year it will be introduced to a further 40 locations across the UK and globally.

The first-of-its-kind AI tool, described in a new paper in the Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, analyses heart MRI scans in just 20 seconds whilst the patient is in the scanner. This compares to the 13 minutes or more it would take for a doctor to manually analyse the images after the MRI scan has been performed. Each year, around 120,000 heart MRI scans are performed in the UK. The researchers say that the AI will free-up valuable time of healthcare professionals – saving around 3,000 clinician days every year – so their attention can be directed to seeing more patients on NHS waiting lists, which will ultimately help with the backlog in vital heart care. The AI will also give patients and doctors more confidence in the results so that they can make better decisions about a person's treatment and possible surgeries.