A 64-year-old woman has been spared from a possible heart attack, thanks to an AI system that can quickly interpret ECG results. The system shortens the wait for medical care and diagnosis by about an hour. It has proven to be a life-saver, especially for people who present atypical symptoms of a heart attack.
The woman in Taiwan recently went to her doctor complaining of abdominal discomfort. She was shocked to learn that she had to undergo surgery right away. As it turned out, her pain was an atypical symptom of a heart attack.
She said she didn’t know that it was so serious because it seemed to just be abdominal pain.
Atypical symptoms of a heart attack include fading consciousness, fatigue, abdominal pains, and vomiting. Men over 50 and women over 60, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, or coronary diseases, are most likely to develop those symptoms.
Fortunately for this woman, a new AI system was in place to speed up the process, shaving off many precious minutes. One doctor says it normally takes at least 90 minutes from the time a patient enters a hospital to the time they are diagnosed and receive treatment. With the newly-built system, this can be shortened to around 30 minutes.
The doctor says it takes experienced doctors to interpret ECG results in a minute or two, but it takes AI only a few seconds to do it. For those with atypical heart attack symptoms, that difference can also be the difference between life and death.