AI has potential to revolutionise heart disease treatments in India: Experts

With early detection and personalised therapies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can make a significant mark for the treatment of heart diseases in India, said experts on Sunday.

Heart disease is a major health concern in India. It is also the leading cause of death in the country.

Speaking to IANS, Balbir Singh, Chairman - Cardiology, Max Healthcare said AI can predict heart events, and help patients to report to the hospital earlier. It can also easily pick changes in voice, and eyes that no other methods or tools can.

"AI has the potential to revolutionise cardiology by enabling earlier detection of heart disease, personalising treatment plans, and improving patient outcomes. With the ability to analyse large amounts of data quickly and accurately, AI can assist clinicians in making more informed decisions, leading to more effective and timely interventions," Singh said, on the sidelines of the two-day CARDIOLOGY SUMMA 2024 held in New Delhi.

Further, cardiology experts noted that AI can significantly benefit the healthcare sector in India as the country has a large rural population.

"AI can be beneficial for the healthcare sector in India, which has excellent localised advanced care and large rural or distant populations," Paul A. Friedman, Chair - Cardiology, Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, told IANS.

Friedman noted that AI has three main functions in medicine -- it can help in faster reading of ECGs or other medical diagnostic tests and identify the presence of disease; it can find individuals who need more advanced care and predict future disease.

Gurpreet Sandhu, Vice Chair, Cardiology, Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic lauded the development of the healthcare sector in India.

"Healthcare in India has expanded amazingly over the last couple of decades. And especially since the pandemic, the development has been exponential. The number of new hospitals being built, and the new technologies, especially in cardiology, are nothing short of dramatic. With the cutting-edge technologies being used, I think the future of India is outstanding," Sandhu told IANS.

The two-day Global Cardiology Summit- 'Cardiology Summa2024' brought together world-class cardiologists, researchers, and healthcare professionals to discuss the latest advancements in cardiology care, innovative treatment methodologies, and the role of cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cardiac diagnostics and patient management.