Researchers have developed an AI-powered foot scanner that can detect early signs of heart failure.
The device, about the size of a smart speaker, uses technology similar to facial recognition. It captures and analyses nearly 2,000 images per minute to measure fluid levels in the feet and ankles.
Fluid retention, or oedema, is a critical indicator of worsening heart failure.
The scanner aims to provide early alerts, enabling quicker intervention and potentially preventing severe complications and hospitalisations.
The AI scanner is also able to trigger an alert to healthcare professionals so they can take action, such as increasing their patient’s medication.
The Foot Study, which is being presented at the British Cardiovascular Society annual conference in Manchester, suggests these alerts come 13 days before a person would end up in hospital.
It involved 26 heart failure patients from five NHS trusts who were enrolled between 2020 and 2022.
They were monitored using the AI device and were also asked to weigh themselves using Bluetooth-enabled scales.
Seven instance of worsening heart failure was detected in six patients, while one death from the condition was recorded.
Researchers found that, in patients enrolled in the study for at least two weeks before an alert was triggered, the average lead time before hospital admission was 13 days.
The lead time averaged eight days when all five triggers picked up by the device were analysed.
The study also found that monitoring using the scales failed to predict any heart failure-related hospital admissions.
Researchers suggested this is because patients struggled to stick to tracking their weight, whereas the AI device did not require any action.
Dr Philip Keeling, senior author of the study and a consultant cardiologist at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Only about half of people admitted to hospital with heart failure currently get assigned an early review by a heart failure nurse who can check to see if they are suffering a harmful build-up of fluid because their heart is not working properly.
“Amid a shortage of heart failure nurses, a device like this can be like a virtual nurse, tracking people’s health.”
The device, developed by Cambridge-based start-up Heartfelt Technologies, is mounted to the wall and is typically installed at a patient’s bedside.
It uses AI technology to detect a person’s foot and lower leg and track their position, so a camera can take 1,800 pictures a minute from multiple angles. These images reveal the volume of fluid in the foot and lower leg.
It works without wifi, and only scans the legs to a height of 50cm from the floor.
Heart failure is a long-term condition that means the heart is unable to pump blood around the body properly, usually because the heart has become too weak or stiff.
Is it estimated that more than a million people are living with heart failure in the UK.
The three main symptoms that indicate the condition is getting worse are increased breathlessness, weight gain and swelling in the legs or ankles.
Dr Keeling added: “Living with heart failure can be overwhelming, with all the medications, medical tests and appointments, and the requirement to monitor your own health.
“This scanner, once it is installed, just automatically keeps an eye on you and alerts the heart failure nurse, which is a huge relief.”
At the end of the study, 18 of the 22 surviving patients kept the AI device.
Reacting to the findings, Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: “This small study suggests a simple device could significantly improve outcomes for at-risk patients with heart failure by keeping them out of hospital.
“This study is a good example of how technology might aid earlier interventions and treatment, by allowing people to track a key sign of their heart health at home.
“Innovations with the potential to transform heart care in this way are a major part of the BHF’s goal to save and improve lives of people living with cardiovascular disease.”
