AI technology could detect pregnancy-related heart disease

An AI-enabled digital stethoscope could detect pregnancy-related heart disease, new research has shown.

The study, conducted by Mayo Clinic, has found that an AI-enabled digital stethoscope could improve the diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy, a potentially life-threatening and treatable condition that weakens the heart muscle of women during pregnancy or in the months after giving birth.

Researchers used the AI-enabled digital stethoscope that captures electrocardiogram (EKG) data and heart sounds to identify twice as many cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy as compared to regular care.

“We demonstrated for the first time in an obstetric population that AI-guided screening using a digital stethoscope improved the diagnosis of this potentially life-threatening and treatable condition,” explained lead study author Demilade A. Adedinsewo, an assistant professor of medicine in the department of cardiovascular medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida.

“This research can change current clinical practice from one that is reactive and symptom-driven to a more proactive approach of identifying pregnancy-related cardiac dysfunction using a simple, low-cost and effective screening tool.

“Earlier diagnosis would facilitate prompt and appropriate management of cardiomyopathy and reduce associated disease and death.”

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a type of heart failure that can affect women late in pregnancy or after pregnancy. The disease weakens the heart, resulting in a decrease in the amount of blood that is pumped from the heart to other parts of the body.

It is typically diagnosed towards the end of pregnancy or in the months following and may be difficult for health professionals to detect because many of the symptoms are similar to those seen with normal pregnancy, such as shortness of breath and swelling in the feet and legs, according to the American Heart Association.

The rate of peripartum cardiomyopathy is somewhat low in the US, affecting one in every 1,000 to 4,000 pregnancies. However, it is more prevalent in countries like Nigeria, which has the highest reported incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy worldwide, with it impacting as many as one in 96 pregnancies.

As part of the study, researchers from Mayo Clinic looked at almost 1,200 Nigerian women who were pregnant or had recently had a baby.

Approximately half were evaluated with AI-guided screening using the digital stethoscope and half received usual obstetric care in addition to a clinical EKG. Peripartum cardiomyopathy was detected twice as often among study participants when EKG testing was performed with a digital stethoscope using an AI algorithm, compared to clinical EKG in addition to routine obstetric care.

Overall, four per cent of the pregnant and postpartum women in the intervention arm of the clinical trial had cardiomyopathy compared to two per cent in the control arm, suggesting that half are likely undetected with usual care.

“While we expected AI-guided screening to improve the diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, we did not anticipate the frequency of cardiomyopathy diagnosis would be doubled,” Adedinsewo said.

She added: “Additional large trials enrolling a diverse group of women in other geographic locations are needed to evaluate the impact of AI-guided screening on cardiomyopathy diagnosis as well as its impact on adverse maternal outcomes.”