If you think your heart is in good hands with your doctor, you might want to think again. A new study has shown that artificial intelligence (AI) can do a better job than humans in diagnosing heart problems from echocardiograms.
Here’s how it works.
How the trial was done
The study, published in Nature, was a collaboration between Cedars-Sinai and Stanford University. The researchers used an AI algorithm that they developed in 2020, which can measure left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), a key indicator of heart health. LVEF is the percentage of blood that the left ventricle pumps out with each contraction. A normal LVEF is between 50% and 70%, while a low LVEF can indicate heart failure or other conditions.
The researchers conducted a blinded, randomized clinical trial of AI in cardiology, involving 3,495 echocardiogram studies from patients with various heart diseases. They compared the initial assessments of the AI, the sonographers, and the cardiologists who reviewed the images.
They found that the cardiologists agreed more often with the AI than with the sonographers. The AI also saved time and reduced the need for corrections.
Why this matters for patients and clinicians
This study is important because it shows that AI can improve the quality and efficiency of cardiac imaging, which is crucial for diagnosing and treating heart problems.
Echocardiograms are one of the most common tests in cardiology, but they are also prone to errors and variability. By using AI to automate and standardize the measurements, clinicians can save time and resources, and provide more accurate and consistent results to their patients.
How this raises the bar for AI regulation
This study is also notable because it is one of the first to validate and approve an AI algorithm for clinical use in cardiology. The researchers followed rigorous methods and standards to ensure that the AI was safe and effective. They also obtained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory bodies before deploying the AI in clinical settings.
This sets a high standard for future AI applications in medicine and other fields.
AI and humans: a winning team for heart health
So there you have it. AI is not only smarter than humans, but also faster and more accurate when it comes to heart imaging. Don’t worry though, your doctor is still there to interpret the results and give you advice. But maybe next time you have an echocardiogram, you’ll be more impressed by the machine than by the person holding it.
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