Artificial Intelligence and Its Role in Diagnosing Heart Failure: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is prevalent globally. It is a dynamic disease with varying definitions and classifications due to multiple pathophysiologies and etiologies. The diagnosis, clinical staging, and treatment of HF become complex and subjective, impacting patient prognosis and mortality. Technological advancements, like artificial intelligence (AI), have been significant roleplays in medicine and are increasingly used in cardiovascular medicine to transform drug discovery, clinical care, risk prediction, diagnosis, and treatment. Medical and surgical interventions specific to HF patients rely significantly on early identification of HF. Hospitalization and treatment costs for HF are high, with readmissions increasing the burden. AI can help improve diagnostic accuracy by recognizing patterns and using them in multiple areas of HF management. AI has shown promise in offering early detection and precise diagnoses with the help of ECG analysis, advanced cardiac imaging, leveraging biomarkers, and cardiopulmonary stress testing. However, its challenges include data access, model interpretability, ethical concerns, and generalizability across diverse populations. Despite these ongoing efforts to refine AI models, it suggests a promising future for HF diagnosis. After applying exclusion and inclusion criteria, we searched for data available on PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library and found 150 relevant papers. This review focuses on AI's significant contribution to HF diagnosis in recent years, drastically altering HF treatment and outcomes.

Keywords: artificial intelligence in medicine; ecg interpretation; heart failure; machine learning (ml); smart watches.

Figure 1. Potential flow of input and output of data between various sources to the incorporated artificial intelligence system

Source reference: [5,6,10]

Figure 2. Machine learning and its various types

Source reference: [25]

Figure 3. Components of machine learning and deep learning

Source reference: [39,41,42]

Figure 4. Types of devices used

Source reference: [151] Figure made using Canva.com

Figure 5. Sensors and measurements

Source reference: [151,158,159] HR: heart rate, HRR: heart rate recovery, HRV: heart rate variability, GPS: global positioning system, SpO₂: saturation of oxygen, ECG: electrocardiogram