An AI-powered wearable sensor can detect changes in heart failure patients before an actual crisis occurs, according to new findings published in Circulation: Heart Failure. This technology would provide significant value in cardiology, limiting hospitalization and leading to better overall patient care.
The study’s authors tracked 100 heart failure patients treated at hospitals in Utah, Texas, California and Florida. Each participant wore the adhesive patch—which measured their electrocardiogram and motion data—at all times for up to three months following their discharge from the hospital.
Overall, the device predicted the need for hospitalization in a heart failure patient more than 80% of the time. In fact, the AI’s predictions occurred an average of 10.4 days before the actual readmission occurred.
“This study shows that we can accurately predict the likelihood of hospitalization for heart failure deterioration well before doctors and patients know that something is wrong,” lead author Josef Stehlik, MD, MPH, co-chief of the advanced heart failure program at University of Utah Health, said in a prepared statement. “Being able to readily detect changes in the heart sufficiently early will allow physicians to initiate prompt interventions that could prevent rehospitalization and stave off worsening heart failure.”
Co-author Biykem Bozkurt, MD, PhD, of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, noted in the same statement that mortality is much higher for heart failure patients who end up at the hospital again and again.
“Even if patients survive, they have poor functional capacity, poor exercise tolerance and low quality of life after hospitalizations,” he said. “This patch, this new diagnostic tool, could potentially help us prevent hospitalizations and decline in patient status.”
“If we can decrease this readmission rate through monitoring and early intervention, that's a big advance,” Stehlik added. “We're hoping even in patients who might be readmitted that their stays are shorter, and the overall quality of their lives will be better with the help of this technology.”
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.