An AI Foot Scanner Could Detect Heart Failure

There has been a revolution in heart failure care. This long-term disease does not have a cure, but it can be managed. Now, heart failure patients have another tool in their tool box that can help them monitor the disease and act quickly before it worsens. 

That is because researchers have developed an AI scanner that can detect early signs of heart failure by using photographs of a patient’s feet to measure fluid levels,reported The Independent. The research  was presented at the annual conference of the British Cardiovascular Society in June of 2024, could help prevent hospitalization and expedite care for thousands of people suffering from heart disease around the world. 

Heart Failure is Not Rare
Though it sounds dramatic, heart failure is not that rare. There are more than a million people living with this long-term condition currently in the UK alone. The disease occurs when the heart can no longer pump blood through the body properly because it is too weak or stiff. The three primary symptoms that the disease is worsening are weight gain, breathlessness, and fluid build up in the feet and legs. 

This is why the new AI scanner, created by Heartfelt Technologies, could be so revolutionary. It is installed at the patient’s home and works by taking over 1,800 photographs of a patient’s lower legs and feet per minute and using those to calculate the amount of fluid their feet are retaining, reported the BBC. 

Dr Philip Keeling, senior author of the study and consultant cardiologist at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, told BBC that the scanner “keeps an eye on you and alerts the health failure nurse”.

Testing the Scanner
According to the Independent, the AI scanner was tested on 26 heart-failure patients from five NHS trusts. The patients were monitored by the scanner and were also asked to weigh themselves daily on a Bluetooth embedded scale, so the researchers could keep track of their weight. 

The AI scanner was able to detect a worsening of the disease in six patients, and for people who had been enrolled in the study for two weeks before the alert, the average time between the alert and hospitalization was 13 days. That is to say, the scanner picked up on the intensification of the disease nearly two weeks before it got so bad that it required the patient to be hospitalized. On the other hand, the scale was not useful in detecting changes in the patients’ medical situation.

So it seems that the AI scanners can truly provide an early warning that could help those suffering from heart disease receive the care they need before they deteriorate. 

Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, told the BBC, that the study was “a good example of how technology might aid earlier interventions and treatment. This small study suggests a simple device could significantly improve outcomes for at-risk patients with heart failure by keeping them out of hospital.”

AI is revolutionizing so many fields, from writing, to art, and science. The AI scanner is proof that though it is sometimes wise to be wary of AI, in many cases, when used correctly, it can truly help make a difference in the lives of so many people. 

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