AI tool can find people with heart condition who have no symptoms
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A new artificial intelligence tool is finding people with a heart condition before they even have symptoms. The ground-breaking tool scours GP records to look for “red flags” which could indicate whether a patient is at risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF).
One former Army captain who took part in the trial said he is “really grateful” that his AF was detected. John Pengelly said he now just takes a “couple of pills a day” to reduce his heightened risk of a potentially deadly stroke. AF is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, and people with it have a significantly higher risk of having a stroke.
For some, AF can lead to heart palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath and tiredness. But others have no symptoms of the condition and the effected person is completely unaware that their heart rate is irregular. Around 1.6 million people across the UK have been diagnosed with AF.
But leading heart charity the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said there are likely many thousands of undiagnosed people in the UK who are unaware they’re living with the condition. When AF is identified and treated early it can be managed and the stroke risk reduced.
The new AI tool is being assessed in a trial, called Find-AF, which is being funded by BHF and Leeds Hospitals Charity. The algorithm was developed by scientists and clinicians at the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with funding from the BHF.
