AI-powered Stethoscope Detects Pregnancy-Related Heart Failure in Advance

AI-powered Stethoscope Detects Pregnancy-Related Heart Failure in Advance

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A new clinical trial report has revealed that an AI-driven stethoscope could help clinicians detect a potentially fatal form of heart failure that can occur in the late stage of pregnancy.

According to the trial results published in Nature Medicine, the AI-driven stethoscope was 12 times more likely to detect heart pump weaknesses linked to peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) than the traditional methods widely used by clinicians.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare medical condition that causes cardiomyopathy in the early postpartum or late pregnancy. Notable signs include left ventricular dysfunction, resulting in heart failure during the peripartum period without other reported causes of heart failure.

According to Dr. Demilade Adedinsewo, lead researcher and cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, identifying this form of heart failure early in advance is important to maternal health and well-being.

With symptoms mimicking those associated with pregnancy, Peripartum cardiomyopathy can be challenging to detect early in advance using traditional means, according to health experts. The medical condition can cause swelling in the legs or feet and shortness of breath.

The symptoms can progress and worsen during the pregnancy period or after the child’s birth, endangering the mother’s health and well-being of the heart becomes weak.

AI Stethoscope Outperforms Traditional Obstetric Approach

Conventionally, clinicians always check for PPCM using a stethoscope or X-ray to look for abnormal signs such as rapid heart rate, abnormal heart sounds, or fluid in the lungs. Follow-up lab tests and ultrasound can also be used to verify suspected cases of PPCM.

For the study, researchers recruited 1,200 pregnant women in Nigeria, a West African country known for the world’s highest rate of pregnancy-linked heart failures. The participants were then randomly assigned to a traditional obstetric approach or experimental obstetric care using an AI digital stethoscope and 12-lead AI-powered electrocardiogram.

The result showed a significant detection rate of weakened heart muscles using AI-driven medical devices than the traditional approach. The AI stethoscope detected nearly 2% more cases of heart failure in women checked compared to those examined using traditional obstetric care.

Despite being challenging to detect, those diagnosed with the medical condition can be treated with appropriate medicine, while those with extreme cases might require hospitalization in intensive care units, a mechanical heart pump, or require heart transplant in a very extreme medical event.

Following the findings, the researchers are looking to study how AI medical stethoscopes are used by clinicians and nurses in Nigeria and their real-world impact on pregnancy care.