Artificial intelligence better flags structural heart disease
The model’s score for distinguishing disease from no disease was 0.80, versus 0.75 for prediction using clinical information and standard heart-tracing findings.
Our read
Biomarkers- Studied:
- Cross-sectional study of 3,779 adults undergoing public-system cardiovascular screening (Independent replication)
- What changed:
- AI scored 0.80 versus 0.75 for conventional prediction when distinguishing structural heart disease from no disease
- The catch:
- The AI correctly classified only 50.4% of people without disease as negative
- Why it’s aging research:
- It bears on staying healthy in midlife and later life.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Among 3,779 adults undergoing public-system cardiovascular screening in two Brazilian cities, a prospective observational study compared artificial intelligence (AI) screening with conventional prediction. Their median age was 66, and 56.7% were women. Participants had clinical assessments, electrocardiograms—recordings of the heart’s electrical activity—and heart ultrasound scans interpreted by cardiologists.
The AI analyzed the electrical recordings for structural heart disease, including heart muscle and valve problems. It distinguished disease from no disease better than prediction using clinical information and standard heart-tracing abnormalities. Ultrasound detected disease in 24.2% of participants. The AI identified 87.3% of those with disease but correctly classified only 50.4% of those without it as negative. Under fixed ultrasound capacity, AI-guided prioritization reduced the estimated time to diagnosing half the cases from 407 to 172 days.
Why it matters
Age was independently linked to structural heart disease in this screening population. The authors suggest AI may help underserved public health systems prioritize limited heart ultrasound appointments.
Caveats
The shorter diagnostic wait was an estimate based on fixed ultrasound capacity, not an observed reduction in waiting time. The findings came from adults attending public-system screening in two Brazilian cities.
The paper
Universidade Federal de São João Del Rei; Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
The American Journal of Cardiology, Nov 8, 2026
Comments
Be the first to comment.