Artificial Intelligence in the Prevention and Detection of Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

For more than 60 years, artificial intelligence (AI) has served as a mainstay in augmenting and assisting the lives of individuals across a wide array of interests and professional fields. Functioning to create deep computer simulations, analyze data, solve problems, and synthesize human behavior/emotion, AI has recently become a topic of popular interest in many fields of medicine. Despite decades of usage, modern AI—and its newer branch of machine learning (ML)—have yet to find a fully established and regulated niche in medicine. Understanding the clinical implications that AI and ML might be able to play in cardiovascular medicine, studies have sought to understand and compare how this technology compares with human rationality and diagnostics. Utilizing AI and ML in an array of cardiovascular medical techniques, analyses, and predictive measurements seems to have produced accurate results while also saving healthcare providers time and enabling them to expand their reach to further populations. Although current research and literature might hypothesize AI’s potential clinical applications, it is nearly impossible to fully understand the breadth and scope that this new technology can play in the future. In this article, we attempt to analyze a few of the potential applications of AI and ML for the detection, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, we discuss how AI might make cardiovascular care more equitable and highlight a few precautions for utilizing this technology.