Researchers from Leeds have suggested that patients who are at risk of heart failure could benefit from early treatment by using artificial intelligence (AI).
Using patient records, researchers at Leeds University have “trained” an algorithm called Find-HF to identify early indications of the illness.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) estimates that over a million people in the UK suffer from heart failure at any given time.
According to Prof. Chris Gale of the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the technology will provide patients with a “crucial window of opportunity”.
The BHF funded the study, which involved the use of 565,284 UK patients’ medical records. The AI system was then further evaluated on a database.
The AI was able to accurately predict the patients at the highest risk of developing heart failure and those who could be admitted to hospital with the condition within five years, the researchers said.
‘Quality of life’
Prof Gale, a consultant cardiologist, said: “This is an extremely powerful and unique national resource, and it is time to use these data to benefit patients.
“Find-HF could potentially bring diagnoses forward by two years.”
The researchers proposed that general practitioners (GPs) could use the platform as an early warning system to test and diagnose patients sooner.
