Artificial intelligence in cardiovascular care: from promise to practice

Cardiovascular disease kills 1.7 million people every year in Europe, more than any other disease.

62 million Europeans currently live with cardiovascular disease, and due to an ageing population, this number could reach more than 100 million by 2050. That would mean millions more people facing chronic illness and a reduced quality of life, as well as increasing strain on health systems and society.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can help to reduce the estimated 1 in 5 preventable deaths from cardiovascular disease and improve early detection and treatment for the millions of people living with cardiovascular health problems. A new JRC report examines where AI is currently used in cardiovascular care. It also assesses the evidence behind the most promising applications, identifies the barriers to wider deployment and recommends how policy can support the use of AI to deliver real benefits for patients, healthcare professionals and health systems.

AI is already making a difference

Several AI tools are already routinely used in clinical practices across European hospitals.

For example, AI can automatically perform coronary artery calcium scoring from a CT scan, which measures calcium deposits in the heart's major blood vessels. This is one of the strongest predictors of future heart attacks, and AI performs it as accurately as a specialist radiologist.

AI can also analyse a CT scan of the coronary arteries to estimate whether a narrowed vessel is restricting blood flow to the heart, a technique known as CT-derived fractional flow reserve. This helps clinicians decide which patients need surgery to open the artery and which patients can be safely treated with medication alone.

In acute stroke care, AI can detect a major vessel blockage from a brain CT scan within seconds and automatically alert hospital staff reducing the time to treatment which improves patient outcomes.

Tried but not yet tested: Innovative ways to use AI are constantly being developed, but large trials are needed to confirm the real clinical benefit before they can be used routinely.

For example, subtle warning signs for strokes can be picked up by AI tools that can detect patterns from routine electrocardiogram tests that would be invisible to doctors. Early results are promising, but whether AI-guided screening translates into strokes being prevented remains to be seen in clinical trials.

Harnessing the potential of AI in healthcare: safe, secure and open to all

Researchers at the JRC are confident that there is huge potential for AI to revolutionise healthcare in many ways. Enabling early detection, speeding up diagnosis, and paving the way for personalised healthcare can improve outcomes for patients, reduce costs and relieve the strain on Europe's increasingly overstretched healthcare systems.

However, the report finds several barriers to harnessing AI in cardiovascular care, and outlines actions the EU could take to turn this vision into reality:

• Putting clinical evidence first. Funding should prioritise independent validation and comparisons between competing tools, not just technical performance. The measure of success should be whether AI improves patient outcomes, care experience, and sustainable costs.
• Investing in infrastructure. Many hospitals lack the IT systems needed to deploy AI. Without targeted investment, AI may risk widening, rather than narrowing, existing disparities in cardiovascular care across Europe.
• Simplifying regulation. Navigating multiple regulatory frameworks puts a disproportionate burden on small companies and start-ups that develop many AI cardiovascular tools. The EU is already addressing these measures to streamline conformity assessment and reduce administrative burdens.

JRC science supports EU healthy heart policies

This report is part of the European Commission's Safe Heart Plan, which sets out a comprehensive approach to improve cardiovascular health and to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease across Europe.

Under the Plan's digital health pillar, the Commission has committed to a €20 million flagship initiative to accelerate the deployment of AI and data-driven tools in cardiovascular care by developing common technical specifications and guidance on clinical integration, with the aim of publishing a blueprint for cardiovascular AI deployment by 2030 and facilitating equitable access to innovation across Member States.

This report provides the scientific evidence base to inform the Plan and its broader policy priorities.

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