We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Events

ATTENTION: Due to the COVID-19 PANDEMIC, many events are being rescheduled for a later date, converted into virtual venues, or altogether cancelled. Please check with the event organizer or website prior to planning for any forthcoming event.

AI Trained for Specific Vocal Biomarkers Could Accurately Predict Coronary Artery Disease

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 28 Mar 2022
Print article
Image: AI can reveal a patient`s heart health (Photo courtesy of Mayo Clinic)
Image: AI can reveal a patient`s heart health (Photo courtesy of Mayo Clinic)

Earlier studies have examined the use of voice analysis for identifying voice markers associated with coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart failure. Other research groups have explored the use of similar technology for a range of disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and COVID-19. Now, for the first time, researchers have used voice analysis to predict CAD outcomes in patients who were tracked prospectively after an initial screening.

In a recent study by the research team at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA), an artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer algorithm accurately predicted a person’s likelihood of suffering from CAD based on voice recordings alone. The researchers found that people with a high voice biomarker score were 2.6 times more likely to suffer major problems associated with CAD and three times more likely to show evidence of plaque buildup in medical tests compared with those who had a low score. While the technology is not yet ready for use in the clinic, the demonstration suggests voice analysis could be a powerful screening tool in identifying patients who may benefit from closer monitoring for CAD-related events. Researchers beleive this approach could be particularly useful in remote health care delivery and telehealth.

For the new study, researchers recruited 108 patients who were referred for a coronary angiogram, an X-ray imaging procedure used to assess the condition of the heart’s arteries. Participants were asked to record three 30-second voice samples using the Vocalis Health smartphone application. For the first sample, participants read from a prepared text. For the second sample, they were asked to speak freely about a positive experience, and for the third, they spoke freely about a negative experience.

The Vocalis Health algorithm then analyzed participants’ voice samples. The AI-based system had been trained to analyze more than 80 features of voice recordings, such as frequency, amplitude, pitch and cadence, based on a training set of over 10,000 voice samples. In previous studies, researchers had identified six features that were highly correlated with CAD. For the new study, researchers combined these features into a single score, expressed as a number between -1 and 1 for each individual. One-third of patients were categorized as having a high score and two-thirds had a low score.

Study participants were tracked for two years. Of those with a high voice biomarker score, 58.3% visited the hospital for chest pain or suffered acute coronary syndrome (a type of major heart problem that includes heart attacks), the study’s composite primary endpoint, compared with 30.6% of those with a low voice biomarker score. Participants with a high voice biomarker score were also more likely to have a positive stress test or be diagnosed with CAD during a subsequent angiogram (the composite secondary endpoint).

The researchers have not concluded why certain voice features seem to be indicative of CAD, but believe that the autonomic nervous system may play a role. This part of the nervous system regulates bodily functions that are not under conscious control, which includes both the voice box and many aspects of the cardiovascular system, such as heart rate and blood pressure. Therefore, it is possible that the voice could provide clues about how the autonomic nervous system is functioning, and by extension, provide insights into cardiovascular health, according to the researchers.

“We can’t hear these particular features ourselves. This technology is using machine learning to quantify something that isn’t easily quantifiable for us using our human brains and our human ears,” said Jaskanwal Deep Singh Sara, MD, a cardiology fellow at Mayo Clinic and the study’s lead author. “We’re not suggesting that voice analysis technology would replace doctors or replace existing methods of health care delivery, but we think there’s a huge opportunity for voice technology to act as an adjunct to existing strategies.”

Related Links:
Mayo Clinic 

New
Gold Supplier
Ultrasound Phantom
Multi-Purpose Multi-Tissue Ultrasound Phantom - Model 040GSE
New
Open Reanimation System
BabyGuard W-1140
New
Specimen Radiography System
TrueView Pro 100
New
Oro-Nasal Mask
6450 Series

Print article
Radcal

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: An earbud prototype that has been wired for data collection (Photo courtesy of MUSC)

Earbuds to Outperform Smartwatches in Monitoring Blood Pressure

While blood pressure cuffs are considered the most accurate method of measurement, they require the user to sit down, put on the cuff, and stay still. This can be inconvenient and may lead to errors in... Read more

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: New robust thermosensitive bioadhesives can improve surgical sealing (Photo courtesy of Pexels)

New Surgical Sealing Biomaterial Could Eliminate Standard Methods of Suturing and Stapling

For surgical wounds to be properly closed, the sealant material used must effectively seal on wet, slippery tissue surfaces that vary in shape and may involve tissue movement, such as an expanding lung,... Read more

Business

view channel
Image: The demand for endometrial ablation devices is increasing due to rising prevalence of gynecological disorders (Photo courtesy of Pexels)

Global Endometrial Ablation Market Driven by Rising Prevalence of Gynecological Disorders

Gynecological disorders, such as menorrhagia, PCOD, abnormal vaginal bleeding, affect millions of women globally every year and are on the rise. Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) is the most common disorder... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2023 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.