An Oxford University spinout company Caristo Diagnostics has developed an Artificial Intelligence model that can identify individuals at risk of a heart attack within the next decade, BBC reported. Scientists have dubbed this model revolutionary, as it identifies cardiac inflammation that cannot be distinguished on a computed tomography or CT scan, a combination of X-ray and computer technology. A pilot programme is currently being implemented in five hospitals in Oxford, Milton Keynes, Leicester, Liverpool, and Wolverhampton hospital trusts with the support of NHS England.
It has been presented, and a decision regarding its applicability to the NHS is pending in the forthcoming months. They are also using the technology to prevent diabetes and strokes. Professor Keith Channon from the University of Oxford said: “It is transformative and game-changing technology since it is the first time that we can monitor biological actions that are not visible to the naked eye which comes before the formation of these narrowings and blockages [within the heart].
In the pilot, patients with chest pain and who have been referred for a standard CT scan get their scan results passed through Caristo Diagnostics’ CaRi-Heart AI. An algorithm indicating the presence of inflammation in the coronary artery and plaque is then checked and confirmed by operators. They have found that an increased level of inflammation also means an increased chance of developing cardiovascular disease or fatal hea.