- 05 September 2019
- 3 min read
Artificial intelligence used to detect risk of heart attack
SubscribeHalf of all heart attacks happen in people who do not have significant narrowing of the arteries. AI will be able to help notify those at risk in advance.

AI will alert those most at-risk from heart attack
Artificial intelligence can identify people most likely to have a deadly heart attack five years before it strikes, scientists have found.
Researchers from the University of Oxford used machine learning to develop a new biomarker that detects changes to blood vessels supplying the heart.
Described as a fingerprint, it can identify “biological red flags” such as inflammation, scarring and new blood vessel formation, which are pointers to a future heart attack.
Limitations of CT angiograms
Currently scans known as coronary CT angiograms (CCTA) check the coronary arteries for any narrowed or blocked segments, but there are no methods routinely used by doctors to spot these other, underlying characteristics.
Half of all heart attacks happen in people who do not have significant narrowing of the arteries.
Used alongside these scans, the new fat radiomic profile (FRP) can analyse changes to the fat surrounding the heart vessels to calculate how likely someone is to have a heart attack.
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