AI-Powered Score Improves Heart Attack Risk Prediction, Paving Way for Personalized Treatment
A new international study, spearheaded by the University of Zurich, demonstrates that artificial intelligence can significantly enhance the accuracy of risk assessment for patients experiencing the most prevalent type of heart attack – non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS). This advancement promises to empower physicians with the ability to tailor treatment strategies to individual patient needs, potentially improving outcomes worldwide.
Currently, doctors rely on the GRACE score, a standardized system, to estimate risk and determine the optimal timing for catheter-based interventions like angiography and stenting. While widely adopted and increasingly integrated into clinical guidelines, the GRACE score has limitations in capturing the full spectrum of patient complexities.
Published in The Lancet Digital Health, the groundbreaking research analyzed data from over 600,000 patients across ten countries.Researchers utilized AI to analyze data from the VERDICT trial, training a model to identify which patients would derive the greatest benefit from early invasive treatment.
The findings revealed a need for a revised approach to patient classification. “We observed that while some patients experienced substantial gains from early intervention, others showed minimal or no betterment,” explains Florian A. Wenzl, frist author and researcher at UZH’s Center for Molecular Cardiology and the UK’s National Health Service. This suggests that current treatment protocols may be misdirected in certain cases, highlighting the necessity for a global re-evaluation of patient care strategies based on individual treatment benefit.
The study’s AI model, dubbed GRACE 3.0, learned from existing clinical trial data to pinpoint those most likely to benefit from immediate invasive procedures, and conversely, those for whom such interventions may be needless.”By re-analyzing clinical trial data, our model learned who actually benefits from early invasive treatment – and who does not.This may imply a shift in how we should be managing these patients,” wenzl states.
Thomas F. Lüscher, the study’s last author and researcher at both the Center for Molecular Cardiology in Zurich and Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals in London, believes GRACE 3.0 represents a significant leap forward. “GRACE 3.0 is the most advanced and practical tool yet for treating patients with the most common type of heart attacks.” He emphasizes that the new score not only offers a more precise risk prediction but also facilitates more personalized treatment decisions,potentially “reshaping future clinical guidelines and helping to save lives.”
The research team anticipates that GRACE 3.0 will provide clinicians with a user-friendly, validated, and AI-driven tool to deliver more effective and individualized care to heart attack patients in everyday clinical practice.
