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A simple 10-second heart test with the aid of artificial intelligence is helping physicians detect a serious, often-overlooked disease.
For Rochester businessman Mike Busch, that technology proved life-changing. After months of unexplained symptoms, an AI-enhanced ECG helped doctors at Mayo Clinic quickly uncover a diagnosis that might otherwise have been missed.
Watch: AI-ECG helps physicians detect hidden heart condition
Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (2:31) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.
At the age of 77, Mike Busch says he has no plans for retirement.
"I still work full time," he says.
Spending time with Carol, his wife of 51 years, running his business and promoting youth wrestling in the region means Mike is always on the go.
But in 2023, his health became a concern.
"I wasn't feeling well for a few months, felt like somebody was sitting on my chest," Mike says. "I kind of lost my balance and kind of fell a little bit. I knew I had to probably go in and see somebody. I had been putting it off too long, and went into Mayo."
His doctor ordered an electrocardiogram, or ECG. It's a simple 10-second test that records the heart's electrical signals. Unbeknownst to Mike, he had developed a heart condition called cardiac amyloidosis.
"Cardiac amyloid is a condition where abnormal proteins deposit in the heart. It makes the heart stiff and causes problems with heart failure," says Dr. Martha Grogan, a cardiologist and director of the Cardiac Amyloidosis Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
"I kind of suspected something, but I didn't think it was that serious," Mike says.
His doctors were able to quickly diagnose him, thanks in large part to AI.
"Artificial intelligence, isn't it? I think," Mike says. "I'm not sure."
"The algorithm that we have to detect amyloid was strongly positive. Our scale goes from zero to 100, and he ranked a 98," says Dr. Grogan.
"It begins to learn what the patterns are, and then when it's all done, we can give it an unknown ECG and say, 'Is the pattern that suggests amyloid heart disease present, yes or no?' And it's a very powerful classifier. It can see signals that are hidden to humans," says Dr. Paul Friedman, a cardiologist and Norman Blane and Billie Jean Harty Chair, Mayo Clinic Department of Cardiovascular Medicine Honoring Robert L. Frye, M.D., at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
That's vital for patients with cardiac amyloidosis, which is often misdiagnosed as other types of heart problems, delaying important treatment.
"I couldn't believe it, put it that way," Mike says.
This AI-ECG tool was developed at Mayo seven years ago and recently received FDA clearance.
"Since the introduction of the AI-ECG at Mayo Clinic, it's now been used over a million times by clinicians in screening for various heart conditions," says Dr. Friedman. "It's a powerful test, and it can have us point not our stethoscope but maybe our looking glass in the right direction, so we don't miss things that are important and that are treatable."
Mike takes his medication, continues to follow up with his doctors, and still stays busy.
"I don't see any changes as far as my work ethic goes," he says. "I'm fortunate to be where I'm at, and I'm happy with Mayo Clinic and what they've done."
