AI- Cardiac Issues

Cardiac disease has become a leading cause of death in India. So many people die because of this disease, and many times people in the late ‘30s and ‘40s who normally look healthy succumb to this disease. When someone dies of this disease, generally we hear that the person has died because of a heart attack or the person has died because of cardiac arrest. For the general public heart attack and cardiac arrest look the same, but there is quite a difference between the two terms- A heart attack is when one of the coronary arteries becomes blocked. The heart muscle is robbed of its vital blood supply and if left untreated,   will begin to die because it is not getting enough oxygen. A cardiac arrest is when a person’s heart stops pumping blood around the body and the person stops breathing normally

The most common symptoms of heart attack are shortness of breath and pain in the chest, neck, jaw, or back. When a person suffers a heart attack, if he/she is medically treated without losing much time, has a more chance of survival. . People with sudden cardiac arrest often collapse without warning. They immediately lose consciousness and stop breathing. Cardiac arrests are more deadly than heart attacks.

All over the world, many Artificial Intelligent (AI) programs are being developed, these AI programs are designed in such a way that they can predict whether the patient has got a chance of getting a heart attack in near future. Physicians can use the risk assessment tool to deliver proactive, pre-emptive, and preventive care for at-risk individuals, improving lives while mitigating future pressure on healthcare systems.

Listed below are the few programs available in India

1 The first ever AI program designed to predict cardiovascular disease risk scores for Indians was launched by the Apollo Hospital network in India. This is designed specifically to predict the risk of cardiovascular Disease (CVD) in the Indian population. Doctors across the Apollo network can now leverage this program to predict the risk of CVD and drive preventive cardiac care. Based on Microsoft Azure, this AI-powered Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score  API (application program interface) aims to determine a more accurate CVD risk score for the Indian population. It has been developed using a combination of applied AI and clinical expertise on a large sample of retrospective data on health checks and coronary events. The scoring considers risk contributors including lifestyle attributes such as diet, tobacco & smoking preferences, and physical activity as well as psychological stress and anxiety as reflected via rate of respiration, hypertension, and blood pressure. The score categorises risk into high, moderate, and minimal and also provides insights into the top modifiable risk contributors, thereby assisting doctors to consult patients in a more holistic way while providing insight to patients for lifestyle modification and timely intervention.

2 The Maharashtra government has launched the STEMI MAHARASHTRA PROGRAM, a state-wide AI-powered advance diagnosis and care coordination program recognized by National Health Mission (NHM) to reduce the wait time for patients with heart attacks. Currently, the wait time is 360 minutes, which is higher than the golden hour timeframe of  60 to 90 minutes.

STEMI (Segment Elevation Myocardial Infraction) Maharashtra will set up a system of care for heart attacks based on:

• Making it easier for patients with symptoms of chest pain, breathlessness, palpitation, etc., to approach the nearest government health facility without any delay.
• Setting up a system of rapid detection using a cloud-connected 12 Lead ECG.
• Round-the-clock interpretation of the cases within a few minutes by medical experts.
• AI along with a digital platform for care coordination and analysis.

With this the Maharashtra state government aims at enabling rapid diagnosis of heart diseases in all the government centers in Maharashtra along with assuring timely treatment with the team of cardiologists at the tertiary care facilities, to reduce the time taken for diagnosis and treatment, thus saving lives. This program has been launched in 12 districts of Maharashtra presently. They are Akola, Aurangabad, Jalna, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Nanded, Nashik, Pune, Ratnagiri, Solapur, Wardha, and Thane.. A total of 145 primary health facilities that include rural hospitals, sub-district hospitals, and district hospitals are upgraded as the spokes for STEMI detection and are linked with 38 hubs, the nearest tertiary care facilities equipped for treatment.

3 A team of Delhi-based doctors has now developed an indigenous system, based on machine learning, to predict the patient’s chances of dying within 30 days of suffering a heart attack or going to survive. The system collects data on heart attack patients from North Indian- Segment Elevation Myocardial Infraction (NORIN-STEMI). And it takes less than two minutes to generate a score based on data that can help doctors identify whether an individual is a high-risk patient who can succumb within 30 days or is capable of surviving beyond a crucial period.

The above mention programs have already been successfully tested, there are many more institutes and teams of specialists working on designing an AI intelligence system that can help cardiac patients to survive, and also prevent cardiac diseases. It is highly encouraging that the work is going on all over India so that timely aid can be given to patients suffering from heart attacks, and even in the prevention of cardiac disease.

Now, what prompted me to do research on this topic and write a blog, as, during September 2022, I have come across two such deaths where the persons died within a few minutes of suffering cardiac problems.

Waiting for your view on this blog.

Anil Malik

Mumbai, India

29th September 2022