Revolutionizing the Healthcare Market: Exploring the Impact of AI in Cardiovascular Care
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By Sarah Brunet Amouyal, Deeptech Expert
What is going on?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. We could ask ourselves whether AI is truly integrated into Healthcare, delivering tangible benefits to patients and aiding healthcare professionals, or whether is it simply a marketing trend embraced by medical device companies?
In this analysis, we will explore the significance of AI in Healthcare and showcase how startups specializing in cardiovascular care are successfully revolutionizing patient health management, enhancing diagnostic capabilities for medical professionals, and unlocking immense potential for the years to come.
What does it mean?
Why AI in Healthcare? When discussing healthcare, we address services, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnologies. Within the realm of services, medical devices play a crucial role, encompassing diagnostic tools and therapeutic interventions.
Currently, the integration of AI is seen across all segments of the medical devices sector. The main add value of AI integration in the sector looks to be enhancing accuracy, whether that’s providing a more accurate diagnosis or providing more accurately timed and dosed therapies.
Why does it matter?
💸For markets: the market for AI in healthcare is experiencing growth while also exhibiting segmentation.
Based on research conducted by Grand View Research, the global market for AI in healthcare reveals the following insights:
The global AI in healthcare market size in 2022 was valued at US$ 15.4 billion
This market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 37.5% from 2023 to 2030
AI application within the global AI in healthcare market is segmented as follows (from largest revenue share to smallest revenue share): (1) clinical trials, (2) robot assisted surgery, (3) connected machines, (4) fraud detection, (5) virtual assistants, (6) diagnosis, (7) administrative workflow assistants, (8) dosage error reduction, and (9) cybersecurity
North America dominates the global AI in healthcare market with 58% market share, but the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to experience the fastest growth at 40.9%
🧑🏿🤝🧑🏻For society: numerous healthcare applications and innovations in the field of AI are emerging and gaining attention.
What are the patient’s needs in cardiovascular? It is important to note that cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are responsible for the highest number of global deaths, claiming approximately 17.9 million lives annually. CVDs encompass a range of conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels. This includes but is not limited to coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatic heart disease, and various other related disorders. More than four out of five CVD deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes, and one third of these deaths occur prematurely in people under 70 years of age.
The most important behavioural risk factors are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco and harmful use of alcohol. Individuals may exhibit the impacts of behavioral risk factors through elevated blood pressure, increased blood glucose levels, heightened blood lipids, and the presence of overweight and obesity. These “intermediate risks factors” can be measured in primary care facilities and indicate an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other complications.AI’s applications in cardiovascular & startups to follow:
AI has the potential to revolutionize various fields of medicine, including cardiovascular care. In the context of cardiovascular medicine, AI can be applied in several areas to improve diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcomes.
(1) Medical imaging analysis: AI algorithms can analyze medical images, such as echocardiograms, angiograms, and cardiac MRIs, to assist in the detection and diagnosis of cardiovascular conditions. By leveraging deep learning and computer vision techniques, AI models can accurately identify anatomical structures, quantify cardiac function, and detect abnormalities or pathology.
(2) Risk prediction and prognosis: AI models can analyze large amounts of patient data, including medical records, imaging data, and genetic information, to assess the risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes. These models can provide personalized risk predictions and help clinicians make informed decisions about prevention and treatment strategies.
Here are some start-ups worth keeping an eye on:
Caption Health: Caption Health, an US company, has developed an AI-guided ultrasound system called Caption AI. The technology provides real-time guidance to healthcare professionals during cardiac ultrasound exams, helping to ensure image quality and accurate diagnosis.
Zebra Medical Vision: Zebra Medical Vision, an Israeli company, applies AI algorithms to medical imaging data, including cardiac images, to assist in the detection and diagnosis of various diseases. Their AI models can help identify coronary artery disease, aortic aneurysms, and other cardiac conditions through image analysis.
HeartFlow: California US company that uses AI to provide information on coronary artery disease by analyzing CT scans, and to create image-based modeling to help physicians determine the extent of the blockage and whether it is impacting blood flow for patients with coronary artery disease. The company has received FDA clearance for other products, including a planner tool to help interventional cardiologists virtually model clinical scenarios, and tools to provide information on plaque and coronary artery anatomy, which it says can help physicians better understand a patient’s artery disease and heart attack risk.
Cleerly : New York-based, Cleerly has been on a mission to transform cardiac care since its founding in 2017. It has enjoyed a huge 2022, raising a fresh round of $223 million in July for its AI-based approach to translate advanced imaging science into a new approach for identifying people at risk of heart attacks.
Volta Medical, a French medtech startup, leverages AI with deep and machine learning algorithms to provide decision-support software solutions that help cardiologists during cardiac ablation procedures. It’s flagship product is the real-time ‘cue-giving’ VX1 software which identifies abnormal electrograms consistent with complex cardiac arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AF). This allows cardiologists to more accurately perform ablation procedures.
Cardiologs, a french company, promises to reinvente cardiology by leveraging medical-grade AI and cloud-based technology. They have been focused on creating solutions that leverage the power of machine learning to help clinicians better manage patients suffering from cardiac arrhythmia disorders.
(3) Drug discovery and development: AI can be used to analyze vast amounts of biomedical data and accelerate the drug discovery process. By applying machine learning algorithms to genomic, proteomic, and clinical data, AI can identify potential therapeutic targets, design novel drug compounds, and optimize treatment regimens for cardiovascular diseases.
(4) Virtual assistants and chatbots: AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots can interact with patients, collect relevant medical information, provide personalized recommendations, and offer guidance on lifestyle modifications. These tools can help patients manage their cardiovascular health by offering support, education, and reminders.
Cordio, an Israeli-based health tech company has developed machine learning software that can be downloaded to a smartphone and help to keep cardiac patients out of the hospital.
(5) Remote monitoring and telemedicine: AI can enable remote monitoring of patients with cardiovascular conditions, allowing continuous data collection and analysis of vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation. AI algorithms can detect abnormalities, notify healthcare providers, and facilitate timely interventions, especially in cases of high-risk patients or those in remote areas.
AliveCor: AliveCor has developed the KardiaMobile device, which is a portable ECG monitor that connects to a smartphone. The device, combined with the company's AI algorithms, enables users to detect and monitor various heart conditions, including atrial fibrillation, through their smartphone
Cardiogram: Cardiogram utilizes AI algorithms to analyze data from consumer wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, to detect and monitor heart conditions. Their platform can detect atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and other cardiovascular abnormalities based on the data collected from wearable devices.
Be aware that the landscape of AI start-ups is constantly evolving, and there may be other emerging companies that are making remarkable progress in the field of cardiovascular AI.
🔮What’s next?
To put it lightly — the global AI in healthcare market is flying.
A comparison against more established segments like health services and pharmaceuticals shows a substantial difference in market growth rates. Even when compared to a tech-centric market like eHealth (i.e., health apps, devices, online pharmacies and Telehealth), which is also in a growth phase, the global AI in healthcare market is growing 3.5 times faster.
Although the market size of the global AI in healthcare is relatively small compared to adjacent healthcare markets, it’s important to note that this market is expected to swell to US$ 208.2 billion by 2030.
Moreover, the patient’s needs in cardiovacular are not totally satisfied, and it stays the first cause of mortality in the World. The potential is huge and we are waiting plenty of new innovations in this area in the following years.
It's important to note that while AI shows great promise in cardiovascular medicine, its implementation should be done carefully and ethically. The models should be rigorously validated, and the human expertise of healthcare professionals should always be involved in decision-making processes.
✨ That’s all for today. Thanks for reading !
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