NHCS launches new Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven research laboratory in cardiac imaging

National Heart Centre Singapore announces the establishment of the Cardiovascular Systems Imaging and Artificial Intelligence (CVS.AI) research laboratory in November 2021. Studying various aspects of heart disease using different imaging methods, it is the first of its kind AI-driven research laboratory to be established in Singapore and South East Asia.

NHCS sees over 120,000 outpatient visits annually and performed nearly 17,000 cardiovascular scans in 2021. These cardiac scans assess the structure and function of the heart, and are used to detect new diseases, monitor progression and help guide treatments for heart disease.

Recognizing the value of the vast information collected and available in NHCS from the cardiac imaging it has done, NHCS set up the CVS.AI research laboratory to leverage the power of AI to harness this information so as to enhance the prediction and detection of cardiovascular disease. The objectives of setting up the CVS.AI research laboratory are: (1) to provide AI techniques in capturing and interpreting cardiac images to detect and predict cardiovascular disease, (2) to conduct in-depth assessments of cardiovascular disease amongst at-risk populations in Singapore, and (3) to enable the discovery new knowledge of complex patterns of cardiovascular disease.

“We are excited to spearhead research on the use of AI in the clinical setting. AI can potentially capture and make sense of complex image information in a multidimensional manner that cannot be done by a human interpreter - improving predictive ability, and reducing labor and time-intensive processes in analyzing scan images,” shared Assistant Professor Lohendran Baskaran, Consultant, NHCS who is the Clinical Lead for the Laboratory. For instance, what would usually take between two to four hours of interpretation work by a radiologist, can be done within minutes by AI. Following an earlier research study where AI technology was used in a group of patients’ CT (computerized tomography) scans to analyze their coronary arteries and understand patterns of progression of atheromatous plaque, the team is now working on integrating various types of information from CT scans to predict markers of future heart disease.

“We witness how AI can help us make sense of small and large pieces of data, and even predict future progression of the disease, and its great potential to address challenges relating to diagnostics, and eventually improve health outcomes,” said Associate Professor Zhong Liang, the Technical Lead of the Laboratory, and Principal Investigator, National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS), NHCS.

The use of AI has the ability to report a great level of detail, providing clinicians with in-depth insight into the patient’s condition. For instance, AI can detect sub-millimeter changes beyond the human capacity, such as empowering MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to evaluate the curvature of the heart at 0.5mm and to detect and monitor subtle changes in cardiac muscle injury when blood vessels as small as 0.2mm in caliber are not supplying cardiac tissue. These details enable us to track and monitor the progression of the disease, as well as help us manage and institute treatment at a much earlier stage, potentially increasing its benefits to our patients.

The CVS.AI research laboratory will drive initiatives to improve the precision and efficiency in predicting and identifying the world’s largest killer - cardiovascular disease; such as coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, and heart failure. The various types of cardiac imaging modalities used include CT, MRI, and nuclear imaging.

“With the integration of AI strategies into cardiovascular care providers such as the use of AI algorithms in assessing patients’ risk of heart disease, physicians will be able to identify at-risk individuals and institute personalized preventative therapeutic interventions effectively. Over time, this can potentially save costs, broaden the accessibility of cardiac scans to patients, and improve overall healthcare for our population,” said Professor Terrance Chua, Medical Director, NHCS, who added, “With the burgeoning AI industry, partnerships with local enterprises may also be possible to further catalyze AI tools and techniques to benefit our heart patients.”

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