June 4, 2024 – Researchers in Leeds have developed a groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, known as Find-HF, with the potential to revolutionize heart failure detection. This innovative technology could identify patients at risk years before traditional diagnostic methods, offering a crucial window of opportunity for early intervention and treatment.
Heart failure, a chronic condition affecting over a million people in the UK alone, often goes undiagnosed until its advanced stages, leading to decreased quality of life and increased mortality. Find-HF, trained on the patient records of over 565,000 UK adults, has demonstrated the ability to predict both the development of heart failure and hospitalizations within a five-year timeframe with remarkable accuracy.
Professor Chris Gale, a consultant cardiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Leeds, emphasized the significance of this discovery, stating, “Find-HF could potentially bring diagnoses forward by two years.” This early detection could enable healthcare providers to initiate disease-modifying treatments before the condition progresses, potentially saving lives and improving patient outcomes.
The AI algorithm was further validated on a separate database from Taiwan National University Hospital, confirming its ability to accurately identify high-risk patients across diverse populations. Researchers envision that Find-HF could be integrated into general practitioners’ (GPs) workflows as an early warning system, facilitating earlier testing and diagnosis for individuals at risk of heart failure.
Dr. Ramesh Nadarajah, a health data research UK fellow at the University of Leeds, highlighted the current challenges in heart failure diagnosis, particularly for women and older adults, who often receive diagnoses at later stages when treatments are less effective. He expressed optimism that Find-HF could address this disparity by utilizing machine learning to analyze routinely collected data and identify at-risk individuals sooner.
The potential impact of this AI-driven innovation is immense. Earlier detection of heart failure could lead to more timely interventions, improved quality of life for patients, and reduced healthcare costs associated with hospitalizations and complications. Researchers hope that Find-HF will eventually become a standard tool in clinical practice, transforming the way heart failure is managed and potentially saving countless lives.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF), which funded this groundbreaking research, expressed enthusiasm about the findings. The organization believes that Find-HF could be a game-changer in the fight against heart failure, empowering healthcare providers to deliver personalized care and proactive interventions to those who need them most.