MEDIA RELEASE
EMBARGOED UNTIL 11.30AM SGT, 8 MARCH 2022
FOR ENHANCED PREDICTION AND DETECTION OF HEART DISEASE:
NHCS LAUNCHES NEW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) DRIVEN RESEARCH LABORATORY IN CARDIAC IMAGING
- First AI-driven research laboratory for multi-modal and multi-disease cardiac imaging established by a healthcare provider in Singapore and South East Asia.
- The use of novel AI technology in the new laboratory may enhance the prediction and detection of cardiovascular disease using cardiac images.
- It aims to provide in-depth assessments of cardiovascular disease amongst at-risk populations in Singapore and enhance knowledge of complex patterns of cardiovascular disease.
Singapore, 8 March 2022 – National Heart Centre Singapore announces the establishment of the Cardiovascular Systems Imaging and Artificial Intelligence (CVS.AI) research laboratory in November 2021. Studying various aspects of heart disease using different imaging methods, it is the first of its kind AI-driven research laboratory to be established in Singapore and South East Asia.
NHCS sees over 120,000 outpatient visits annually and performed nearly 17,000 cardiovascular scans in 2021. These cardiac scans assess the structure and function of the heart, and are used to detect new disease, monitor progression and help guide treatments for heart disease.
Recognising the value of the vast information collected and available in NHCS from the cardiac imaging it has done, NHCS set up the CVS.AI research laboratory to leverage the power of AI to harness these information so as to enhance the prediction and detection of cardiovascular disease. The objectives of setting up the CVS.AI research laboratory are: (1) to provide AI techniques in capturing and interpreting cardiac images to detect and predict cardiovascular disease, (2) to conduct in-depth assessments of cardiovascular disease amongst at-risk populations in Singapore, and (3) to enable the discovery new knowledge of complex patterns of cardiovascular disease.
“We are excited to spearhead research on the use of AI in the clinical setting. AI can potentially capture and make sense of complex image information in a multidimensional manner that cannot be done by a human interpreter - improving predictive ability, and reducing labour and time intensive processes in analysing scan images,” shared Assistant Professor Lohendran Baskaran, Consultant, NHCS who is the Clinical Lead for the Laboratory. For instance, what would usually take between two to four hours of interpretation work by a radiologist, can be done within minutes by AI. Following an earlier research study where AI technology was used in a group of patients’ CT (computerised tomography) scans to analyse their coronary arteries and understand patterns of progression of atheromatous plaque, the team is now working on integrating various types of information from CT scans to predict markers of future heart disease.
“We witness how AI can help us make sense of small and large pieces of data, and even predict future progression of disease, and its great potential to address challenges relating to diagnostics, and eventually improve health outcomes,” said Associate Professor Zhong Liang, the Technical Lead of the Laboratory, and Principal Investigator, National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS), NHCS.
The use of AI has the ability to report a great level of details, providing clinicians with in-depth insight of the patient’s condition. For instance, AI can detect sub-millimetre changes beyond the human capacity, such as empowering MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to evaluate the curvature of the heart at 0.5mm, and to detect and monitor subtle changes in cardiac muscle injury when blood vessels as small as 0.2mm in calibre are not supplying cardiac tissue. These details enable us to track and monitor the progression of disease, as well as help us manage and institute treatment at a much earlier stage, potentially increasing its benefits to our patients.
The CVS.AI research laboratory will drive initiatives to improve the precision and efficiency in predicting and identifying the world’s largest killer - cardiovascular disease; such as coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure. The various types of cardiac imaging modalities used include CT, MRI and nuclear imaging.
“With the integration of AI strategies into cardiovascular care provision such as the use of AI algorithms in assessing patients’ risk of heart disease, physicians will be able to identify at-risk individuals and institute personalised preventative therapeutic interventions effectively. Over time, this can potentially save costs, broaden accessibility of cardiac scans to patients, and improve overall healthcare for our population,” said Professor Terrance Chua, Medical Director, NHCS, who added, “With the burgeoning AI industry, partnerships with local enterprises may also be possible to further catalyse AI tools and techniques to benefit our heart patients.”
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Media Contact
Ms Elaine Loh
Corporate Development
National Heart Centre Singapore
Tel: (65) 6704 2387
Email: elaine.loh.l.p@nhcs.com.sg
Ms Belinda Lim
Corporate Development
National Heart Centre Singapore
Tel: (65) 6704 2386
Email: belinda.lim.s.m@nhcs.com.sg
About the National Heart Centre Singapore
The National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) is a 185-bed national and regional referral centre for cardiovascular diseases. NHCS provides a one-stop comprehensive cardiac care ranging from preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic to rehabilitative services. It is also the only heart and lung transplantation centre in Singapore.
Each year, NHCS handles over 120,000 outpatient consultations, 9,000 interventional and surgical procedures and 10,000 inpatients. Its clinical outcomes for heart attack treatment, balloon angioplasty with stenting and coronary bypass surgery have been shown to be equivalent to international benchmarks.
Established in 1998, NHCS is the pioneer in cardiovascular care in Singapore.
For more information, please visit www.nhcs.com.sg.