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The Future of AI in Cardiology

Reporter: Arav Gandhi, Research Assistant 2, Domain Content: Cardiovascular Diseases, Series A

 

AI, also known as artificial intelligence, has not only taken over the objectives of major technology giants such as Google and Microsoft, but also introduced itself to many fields, one of which being the medical field. Several advancements have been made to improve the way medical professionals view patients and their ability to see beyond their own perspective. One such field within medicine that has been primarily transformed is cardiology.

Cardiology is a branch of medicine dealing with all diseases and possible abnormalities found within the heart. For a medical professional, it can be viewed as a stressful occupation dependent on making the right diagnosis at the right time while a patient may view it as one of “the most unsettling moments” of their life hoping to receive the right treatment. But what if the pressure and uncertainty of cardiologists could be reduced? This is where artificial intelligence comes into play. Common medical devices such as ECGs to CT scans can be used to an extent beyond the capability of the human mind. With artificial intelligence, it can capture invaluable data with concepts such as machine learning geared to develop more accurate diagnostics as it receives more data. This not only improves the ability to which clinicians can understand the results of a test, but improve overall patient care: the most critical aspect of medicine. There are several examples by which artificial intelligence aids cardiologists.

If a patient is found with heart palpitations, chest pain or any other cardiac symptoms, an accurate diagnosis with respect to time is of the essence. Although technologies such as portable ultrasounds output results and observations, it is the smart use of data generated that allows for a significant decrease in uncertainty than before. Artificial intelligence is able to automate such measurements and interpretations complexifying the data to reveal much more beyond the human mind. For instance, a 3D CT angiography can show coronary stenosis and a cardiac MRI can show the downstream effect. By implementing artificial intelligence, it can interpret both results in relation to each other to develop a diagnosis and allow cardiologists to understand the patient beyond their own intuition. Not only does artificial intelligence play an important role in interpretation of results, but also in treatment.

After the diagnosis of the patient, there must be a treatment plan optimized to efficiency of time and risk tailored to the patient itself. Artificial intelligence showcases its true power of precision when subject to the cases of patients affected by disease. For instance, through guided imaging solutions such as X-ray, AI is able to explore all possible procedures from minimally invasive to complex methods. Moreover, it even allows clinicians to understand the full perspective of the procedure and determine the best possible tools to use. Yet, AI proves to be helpful beyond the operation room.

With AI, it can reduce clinician and patient exposure to radiation while still obtaining an optimal image quality. Not only has it contributed to safety, but AI has allowed for a better understanding of patient flow and issue real-time notifications so clinicians can prioritize which patients need their attention. With the cardiology department constantly going through issues throughout a day, AI can help reduce this and ease the stress at which the clinicians go through.

Although many fear that artificial intelligence may replace clinicians entirely, this is merely a misconception by which clinicians rather can use artificial intelligence to improve their own view of a patient. Not only does this improve access to quality care, but it also gives those in the field of medicine a piece of mind knowing that they are able to consider all possibilities before developing treatment on a patient.

To learn more about the topic, check out the article below.

SOURCE

“Can AI Transform Cardiology?” GE HealthCare, GE, 2 Feb. 2022, http://www.gehealthcare.com/insights/article/can-ai-transform-cardiology?utm_campaign=USC-NU-HCD-CRD-Cardiology-Innovation.