Cardiovascular disease

research on health

Machine learning predicts the risk of death in patients with suspected or known heart disease

What does novel artificial intelligence score? New Delhi – 12 December 2021: A novel artificial intelligence score provides a more accurate forecast of the likelihood of patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease dying within 10 years than established scores used by health professionals worldwide. The research “‘Machine-learning score using stress CMR for death prediction in patients with suspected or known CAD’” is presented yesterday at EuroEcho 2021, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). EuroEcho 2021 took place 9 to 11 December online. Unlike traditional methods based on clinical data, the new score also includes imaging information on the heart, measured by stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). “Stress” refers to the fact that patients are given a drug to mimic the effect of exercise on the heart while in the magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The study suggests patients with chest pain, dyspnea or risk factors for heart disease should undergo a stress CMR test “This is the first study to show that machine learning with clinical parameters plus stress CMR can very accurately predict the risk of death,” said study author Dr Theo Pezel of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, US. “The findings indicate that patients with chest pain, dyspnoea, or risk factors for cardiovascular disease should undergo a stress CMR exam and have their score calculated. This would enable us to provide more intense follow-up and advice on exercise, diet, and so on to those in greatest need.” What is risk stratification commonly used for? Risk stratification is commonly used in patients with, or at high risk of, cardiovascular disease to tailor management aimed at preventing heart attack, stroke and sudden cardiac death. Conventional calculators use a limited amount of clinical information such as age, sex, smoking status, blood pressure and cholesterol. This study examined the accuracy of machine learning using stress CMR and clinical data to predict 10-year all-cause mortality in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease and compared its performance to existing scores. Dr Pezel explained: “For clinicians, some information we collect from patients may not seem relevant for risk…


COVID-19 News

WHO issues guidelines on the treatment of children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19

What are WHO guidelines on the treatment of children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19? How to manage multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19 (MIS-C)? WHO issues new guidelines. Geneva, 23 November 2021 | WHO today issued updated guidelines on the management of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19 (MIS-C). What is a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)? MIS-C is a rare but serious condition where children with COVID-19 develop inflammation affecting different organs of the body. Children with this condition need specialized care and may need to be admitted to intensive care. Although MIS-C is a serious condition, with the right medical care, children with this condition recover. WHO’s updated guidelines recommend the use of corticosteroids in hospitalized children (aged 0-18 years) with this condition, in addition to supportive treatment and care. This recommendation comes following the availability of three observational studies, pooling data from 885 patients in total. WHO first described this condition in May 2020, and provided a preliminary clinical definition. Overall, children remain at low risk of developing severe or critical COVID-19, but similar to adults, certain underlying conditions make children more susceptible to severe disease. The most commonly reported of these conditions are obesity, chronic lung disease (including asthma), cardiovascular disease and immunosuppression.