(CV risk) Artificial intelligence-estimated biological heart age using a 12-lead electrocardiogram predicts mortality and cardiovascular outcomes
Background
There is a paucity of data on artificial intelligence-estimated biological electrocardiography (ECG) heart age (AI ECG-heart age) for predicting cardiovascular outcomes, distinct from the chronological age (CA). We developed a deep learning-based algorithm to estimate the AI ECG-heart age using standard 12-lead ECGs and evaluated whether it predicted mortality and cardiovascular outcomes.
Methods
We trained and validated a deep neural network using the raw ECG digital data from 425,051 12-lead ECGs acquired between January 2006 and December 2021. The network performed a holdout test using a separate set of 97,058 ECGs.
- Model Performance: The deep neural network was trained to estimate the AI ECG heart age [mean absolute error, 5.8±3.9 years; R-squared, 0.7 (r=0.84, p<0.05)].
Findings
In the Cox proportional hazards models, after adjusting for relevant comorbidity factors, the gap between AI ECG-heart age and chronological age (CA) showed significant predictive power:
- Older Heart (≥ 6 years older than CA): Patients had higher all-cause mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 1.60 [1.42–1.79]) and more major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) [HR: 1.91 (1.66–2.21)].
- Younger Heart (Under 6 years): Showed an inverse relationship, with a lower risk for all-cause mortality (HR: 0.82 [0.75–0.91]) and MACEs (HR: 0.78 [0.68–0.89]).
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ECG Alterations: Additionally, the analysis of ECG features showed notable alterations in the PR interval, QRS duration, QT interval and corrected QT Interval (QTc) as the AI ECG-heart age increased.
Conclusion
Biological heart age estimated by AI had a significant impact on mortality and MACEs, suggesting that the AI ECG-heart age facilitates primary prevention and health care for cardiovascular outcomes.