Speaking from the heart: Could your voice reveal your heart health?
Computer algorithm uses voice recordings to predict coronary artery
disease and related events

Date:
March 24, 2022
Source:
American College of Cardiology
Summary:
An artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer algorithm accurately
predicted a person's likelihood of suffering heart problems related
to clogged arteries based on voice recordings alone.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
An artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer algorithm accurately
predicted a person's likelihood of suffering heart problems related to
clogged arteries based on voice recordings alone, in a study presented
at the American College of Cardiology's 71st Annual Scientific Session.


========================================================================== Researchers found that people with a high voice biomarker score were
2.6 times more likely to suffer major problems associated with coronary
artery disease (CAD), a buildup of plaque in the heart's arteries, 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
said this approach could be particularly useful in remote health care
delivery and telehealth.

"Telemedicine is non-invasive, cost-effective and efficient and has
become increasingly important during the pandemic," 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.

Providing a voice sample is very intuitive and even enjoyable for
patients, and it could become a scalable means for us to enhance patient management.

The study represents the first time voice analysis has been used to
predict CAD outcomes in patients who were tracked prospectively after
an initial screening.

Previous studies retrospectively examined voice markers associated
with 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.

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 collected
in Israel. In previous studies, researchers 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.

"We can't hear these particular features ourselves," Sara said. "This technology is using machine learning to quantify something that isn't
easily quantifiable for us using our human brains and our human ears."
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).

Scientists have not concluded why certain voice features seem to be
indicative of CAD, but Sara said 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, Sara said.

The study was conducted with English speakers in the Midwestern U.S. using software trained on voice samples collected in Israel. Sara said more
tests are needed to determine whether the approach is generalizable
and scalable across languages, countries, cultures and health care
settings. He added that it will also be important to address security
and privacy issues before incorporating such technology into telemedicine
or on-site health assessments.

"It's definitely an exciting field, but there's still a lot of work to
be done," Sara said. "We have to know the limitations of the data we
have, and we need to conduct more studies in more diverse populations,
larger trials and more prospective studies like this one."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_College_of_Cardiology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jaskanwal Deep Singh Sara et al. Non-Invasive Voice Biomarker is
Associated with Incident Coronary Artery Disease Events at Follow-
Up.

Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2022 [abstract] ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220324104417.htm

--- up 3 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 51 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)