American Heart Association Awards $10.5 Million for AI Research to Improve Cardiovascular Disease Screening and CPR

Research teams from Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and the University of Michigan have received $10.5 million in grants to investigate artificial intelligence applications for cardiovascular disease screening and treatment improvement. The funding, provided by the American Heart Association through initiatives detailed on https://www.heart.org, represents a significant investment in leveraging emerging technology to address the leading cause of death in the United States.

The Kaiser Permanente team, led by Dr. David Ouyang, will focus on expanding the diagnostic capabilities of echocardiograms using AI technology. Their project, Screening Cardiometabolic Opportunities Using Transformative Echocardiography Artificial Intelligence, aims to detect early signs of kidney and liver disease during routine heart ultrasound examinations. This approach is particularly important because conditions affecting these organs significantly increase cardiovascular complication risks, yet cardiologists traditionally don't screen for them during cardiac imaging. The research will be conducted across four major healthcare systems to develop effective alert mechanisms for physicians and patients.

Early detection of kidney and liver disease has become increasingly crucial as prevalence rates continue to rise globally. According to American Heart Association reports referenced in their research at https://www.heart.org, cardiovascular disease caused approximately 19.41 million deaths worldwide in 2021, while chronic kidney disease mortality rates increased by 24% from 1990 to 2021. Additionally, an estimated one in four adults worldwide suffers from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, making early intervention through improved screening methods potentially life-saving.

The University of Michigan team, under the leadership of Dr. Cindy Hsu, will develop AI technology to enhance cardiopulmonary resuscitation effectiveness during cardiac arrest emergencies. Their project, Integrated Neural networks and wearable Sensor to Instantaneously Guide Hemodynamic-direcTed CPR, addresses the critical challenge of measuring blood flow during CPR procedures. Traditional methods require invasive catheters and are compromised by chest wall movement during compressions, but the team's AI algorithm integrated with noninvasive wearable sensors can provide accurate real-time blood pressure measurements.

This technology could revolutionize emergency response by allowing medical professionals to adjust CPR techniques and medications based on individual patient needs, potentially doubling or tripling survival rates for the more than 400,000 annual cardiac arrest deaths in the U.S. The research team plans to further develop and eventually commercialize this tool through the American Heart Association's ongoing commitment to advancing medical technology, as demonstrated by their Precision Medicine Platform at https://precision.heart.org launched nearly a decade ago.

These projects represent the latest in the American Heart Association's long-standing commitment to research innovation, having funded more than $6 billion in cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and brain health research since 1949. The organization's investment in artificial intelligence research reflects recognition that emerging technologies must be harnessed to address the growing global burden of cardiovascular disease and its related conditions.