Narrative review of the role of artificial intelligence to improve aortic valve disease management

Early Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: An In-Depth Review

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are significant health issues that result in high death rates globally. Early detection of cardiovascular events may lower the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction and reduce death rates in people with CVDs. Traditional data analysis is inadequate for managing multidimensional data related to the risk prediction of CVDs, heart attacks, medical image interpretations, therapeutic decision-making, and disease prognosis due to the complex pathological mechanisms and multiple factors involved. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that utilizes advanced computer algorithms to extract information from large databases, and it has been integrated into the medical industry. AI methods have shown the ability to speed up the advancement of diagnosing and treating CVDs such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, and more. In clinical settings, AI has shown usefulness in diagnosing cardiovascular illness, improving the efficiency of supporting tools, stratifying and categorizing diseases, and predicting outcomes. Advanced AI algorithms have been intricately designed to analyze intricate relationships within extensive healthcare data, enabling them to tackle more intricate jobs compared to conventional approaches.

Aortic valve replacement today: Outcomes, costs, and opportunities for improvement

The introduction of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) just two decades ago has transformed the treatment of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis. TAVR has not only extended the option of aortic valve replacement to patients deemed ineligible for surgery, it has also demonstrated similar or better short- and intermediate-term clinical outcomes compared with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in patients at all levels of surgical risk. These benefits have been achieved with similar or lower costs compared with SAVR, at least in the first 1-2 years for intermediate- and low-risk patients. Longer-term data will further inform clinical and shared decision-making. SUMMARY FOR ANNOTATED TABLE OF CONTENTS: In just over two decades, transcatheter aortic valve replacement has emerged as a frontline approach for appropriately selected patients with severe aortic stenosis. A growing body of evidence documents similar or better clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness for transcatheter compared with surgical aortic valve replacement. Whether the mode is transcatheter or surgical, aortic valve replacement remains underutilized in patients with clear indications for intervention.

Reimagining Healthcare: Unleashing the Power of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine

Artificial intelligence (AI) has opened new medical avenues and revolutionized diagnostic and therapeutic practices, allowing healthcare providers to overcome significant challenges associated with cost, disease management, accessibility, and treatment optimization. Prominent AI technologies such as machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have immensely influenced diagnostics, patient monitoring, novel pharmaceutical discoveries, drug development, and telemedicine. Significant innovations and improvements in disease identification and early intervention have been made using AI-generated algorithms for clinical decision support systems and disease prediction models. AI has remarkably impacted clinical drug trials by amplifying research into drug efficacy, adverse events, and candidate molecular design. AI's precision and analysis regarding patients' genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors have led to individualized treatment strategies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, AI-assisted telemedicine set a precedent for remote healthcare delivery and patient follow-up. Moreover, AI-generated applications and wearable devices have allowed ambulatory monitoring of vital signs. However, apart from being immensely transformative, AI's contribution to healthcare is subject to ethical and regulatory concerns. AI-backed data protection and algorithm transparency should be strictly adherent to ethical principles. Vigorous governance frameworks should be in place before incorporating AI in mental health interventions through AI-operated chatbots, medical education enhancements, and virtual reality-based training. The role of AI in medical decision-making has certain limitations, necessitating the importance of hands-on experience. Therefore, reaching an optimal balance between AI's capabilities and ethical considerations to ensure impartial and neutral performance in healthcare applications is crucial. This narrative review focuses on AI's impact on healthcare and the importance of ethical and balanced incorporation to make use of its full potential.

Challenges and Burdens in the Coronary Artery Disease Care Pathway for Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Contemporary Narrative Review

Clinical and economic burdens exist within the coronary artery disease (CAD) care pathway despite advances in diagnosis and treatment and the increasing utilization of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, research presenting a comprehensive assessment of the challenges across this pathway is scarce. This contemporary review identifies relevant studies related to inefficiencies in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of CAD, including clinician, patient, and economic burdens. Studies demonstrating the benefits of integration and automation within the catheterization laboratory and across the CAD care pathway were also included. Most studies were published in the last 5-10 years and focused on North America and Europe. The review demonstrated multiple potentially avoidable inefficiencies, with a focus on access, appropriate use, conduct, and follow-up related to PCI. Inefficiencies included misdiagnosis, delays in emergency care, suboptimal testing, longer procedure times, risk of recurrent cardiac events, incomplete treatment, and challenges accessing and adhering to post-acute care. Across the CAD pathway, this review revealed that high clinician burnout, complex technologies, radiation, and contrast media exposure, amongst others, negatively impact workflow and patient care. Potential solutions include greater integration and interoperability between technologies and systems, improved standardization, and increased automation to reduce burdens in CAD and improve patient outcomes.

Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Dentistry

INTRODUCTION

Artificial intelligence has been applied in various fields throughout history, but its integration into daily life is more recent. The first applications of AI were primarily in academia and government research institutions, but as technology has advanced, AI has also been applied in industry, commerce, medicine and dentistry.

OBJECTIVE

Considering that the possibilities of applying artificial intelligence are developing rapidly and that this field is one of the areas with the greatest increase in the number of newly published articles, the aim of this paper was to provide an overview of the literature and to give an insight into the possibilities of applying artificial intelligence in medicine and dentistry. In addition, the aim was to discuss its advantages and disadvantages.

CONCLUSION

The possibilities of applying artificial intelligence to medicine and dentistry are just being discovered. Artificial intelligence will greatly contribute to developments in medicine and dentistry, as it is a tool that enables development and progress, especially in terms of personalized healthcare that will lead to much better treatment outcomes.

Artificial Intelligence-Based Stethoscope for the Diagnosis of Aortic Stenosis

BACKGROUND

The diagnostic accuracy of the stethoscope is limited and highly dependent on clinical expertise. Our purpose was to develop an electronic stethoscope, based on artificial intelligence (AI) and infrasound, for the diagnosis of aortic stenosis (AS).

METHODS

We used an electronic stethoscope (VoqX; Sanolla, Nesher, Israel) with subsonic capabilities and acoustic range of 3-2000 Hz. The study had 2 stages. In the first stage, using the VoqX, we recorded heart sounds from 100 patients referred for echocardiography (derivation group), 50 with moderate or severe AS and 50 without valvular disease. An AI-based supervised learning model was applied to the auscultation data from the first 100 patients used for training, to construct a diagnostic algorithm that was then tested on a validation group (50 other patients, 25 with AS and 25 without AS). In the second stage, conducted at a different medical center, we tested the device on 106 additional patients referred for echocardiography, which included patients with other valvular diseases.

RESULTS

Using data collected at the aortic and pulmonic auscultation points from the derivation group, the AI-based algorithm identified moderate or severe AS with 86% sensitivity and 100% specificity. When applied to the validation group, the sensitivity was 84% and specificity 92%; and in the additional testing group, 90% and 84%, respectively. The sensitivity was 55% for mild, 76% for moderate, and 93% for severe AS.

CONCLUSION

Our initial findings show that an AI-based stethoscope with infrasound capabilities can accurately diagnose AS. AI-based electronic auscultation is a promising new tool for automatic screening and diagnosis of valvular heart disease.

Can cardiac auscultation accuracy be improved with an additional app-based learning tool?

Introduction

Many institutions use simulation ‘events’ to instruct cardiac auscultation. Research shows that these ‘one and done’ events limit repetition, are costly and do not incorporate learning science techniques, such as spaced learning and retrieval practice. The Littmann Learning™ mobile app, which has unlimited access to a large library of real patient heart sounds, is a cost‐effective tool that we considered could be leveraged by educators to provide this training.

Methods

This was a quasi‐experimental pre‐ and post‐design consisting of an intervention group (PA22) and a non‐equivalent comparator group (PA21). The intervention group used a novel mobile app cardiac auscultation curriculum (MACAC), while the comparator group received standard didactic instruction. One‐way analyses of variance were used to analyse the data.

Results

A total of 174 PA students participated in the study. There was a significant (p < 0.001) difference in knowledge and auscultation scores between those who did and did not complete the MACAC. PA22 didactic year knowledge scores were 4.11 and 2.96 points higher than PA21 didactic and clinical year knowledge scores (p < 0.001, d = 1.61 and p < 0.001, d = 1.32), respectively. On average, PA22 didactic year auscultation scores were 0.83 points higher than PA21 clinical year scores (p < 0.001, d = 0.6).

Conclusion

Results indicate that students in their didactic year achieved proficiency in clinically identifying heart sounds, despite not having access to a mannequin simulator and not having an opportunity to identify these sounds bedside. Overall, a MACAC may be an effective method to teach cardiac auscultation to medical learners.

Radiomics in Cardiovascular Disease Imaging: from Pixels to the Heart of the Problem

Purpose of Review

This review of the literature aims to present potential applications of radiomics in cardiovascular radiology and, in particular, in cardiac imaging.

Recent Findings

Radiomics and machine learning represent a technological innovation which may be used to extract and analyze quantitative features from medical images. They aid in detecting hidden pattern in medical data, possibly leading to new insights in pathophysiology of different medical conditions. In the recent literature, radiomics and machine learning have been investigated for numerous potential applications in cardiovascular imaging. They have been proposed to improve image acquisition and reconstruction, for anatomical structure automated segmentation or automated characterization of cardiologic diseases.

Summary

The number of applications for radiomics and machine learning is continuing to rise, even though methodological and implementation issues still limit their use in daily practice. In the long term, they may have a positive impact in patient management.

Integration of Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Wearable Technology for Chronic Disease Management: A New Paradigm in Smart Healthcare

Chronic diseases are a growing concern worldwide, with nearly 25% of adults suffering from one or more chronic health conditions, thus placing a heavy burden on individuals, families, and healthcare systems. With the advent of the "Smart Healthcare" era, a series of cutting-edge technologies has brought new experiences to the management of chronic diseases. Among them, smart wearable technology not only helps people pursue a healthier lifestyle but also provides a continuous flow of healthcare data for disease diagnosis and treatment by actively recording physiological parameters and tracking the metabolic state. However, how to organize and analyze the data to achieve the ultimate goal of improving chronic disease management, in terms of quality of life, patient outcomes, and privacy protection, is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. Artificial intelligence (AI) can provide intelligent suggestions by analyzing a patient's physiological data from wearable devices for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In addition, blockchain can improve healthcare services by authorizing decentralized data sharing, protecting the privacy of users, providing data empowerment, and ensuring the reliability of data management. Integrating AI, blockchain, and wearable technology could optimize the existing chronic disease management models, with a shift from a hospital-centered model to a patient-centered one. In this paper, we conceptually demonstrate a patient-centric technical framework based on AI, blockchain, and wearable technology and further explore the application of these integrated technologies in chronic disease management. Finally, the shortcomings of this new paradigm and future research directions are also discussed.