Hong Kong team to enrol 3,000 patients to improve AI tool targeting cardiovascular disease
‘P-Cardiac’ uses Asia’s largest patient records database to check risk of developing cardiovascular disease, among top causes of death in city
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) aim to recruit 3,000 patients to help improve the accuracy of a tool powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and designed to predict the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, the first of its kind in the city.
The university’s medical school announced the coming recruitment round for its “Heartwise” study on Sunday, with Clinical Professor Yiu Kai-hang hoping for improved outcomes for patients.
“The findings have the potential to improve cardiovascular disease risk assessment, enhance primary and secondary prevention strategies, and promote personalised healthcare,” said Yiu, of the cardiology division of HKU’s department of medicine.
Developed by the university’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, the “P-Cardiac” tool uses AI to assess a patient’s risk of developing the disease by tapping into the largest patient records database in Asia.
The database includes 300,000 patient records from the Hospital Authority.
The researchers are looking to enrol about 3,000 patients, aged 18 to 80, who have conditions such as coronary heart disease and peripheral arterial disease or aortic disease, as well as those who have suffered strokes.
Patients will be recruited from six public hospitals in the fourth quarter of this year.
