Innovative system improves early detection of heart defects

An artificial intelligence health management model has been in use in hospitals in Zhejiang province from mid-April, enabling the screening and early detection of various diseases in newborn babies and reducing the risk of neonatal mortality.

The model, called Change, has been integrated with DeepSeek AI technology and screens for 32 diseases, including heart, genetic and metabolic conditions, and has started processing testing data from all newborns in the province.

Since mid-April, the testing data of all newborns in Zhejiang have been input into the large-scale model released by the National Children's Regional Medical Center and the Children's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine.

Its database consists of over 12 million newborn screenings in Zhejiang since 1999 which have been digitized, along with data from medical journals such as Nature and The Lancet.

"We have been working on newborn disease screening for years," said Xu Weize, executive director of the Change model project and assistant to the dean of the Children's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine.

Congenital heart disease is a major public health issue globally, ranking first among birth defects in China as of 2019. Though 95 percent of cases can be fully cured, many newborns still die due to a lack of screening or timely treatment.

"Within 6 to 72 hours after birth, an electronic stethoscope records the heartbeat for about 20 seconds and uploads it to our cloud. The model provides a result, and if positive, an ultrasound diagnosis is required within seven days. Once diagnosed, feedback is given to the doctor to determine if surgery or follow-up is needed, ensuring early detection and treatment," Xu said.

The Change model can distinguish every abnormal heartbeat, comparing it with the vast database, thereby improving the accuracy of grassroots screening by 60 percent.

Development of the model evolved from nearly 30 years of neonatal rescue experience in Zhejiang, according to Xu.

Its predecessor, an intelligent stethoscope developed by the children's hospital, was introduced in 2019. By recording heart sounds from 20,000 children, the stethoscope compares them to a database, achieving 95 percent accuracy. It is widely used in Zhejiang and has been extended to primary hospitals in other provinces such as Guizhou, Hainan, Yunnan and Sichuan.

In 2020, congenital heart disease screening became free in China. Zhejiang has a screening coverage rate of 99.3 percent, serving 400,000 newborns annually and providing health services to over 30,000 suspected cases, with a follow-up rate of over 90 percent for common congenital heart diseases, according to the provincial health commission.

Infant mortality decreased from 1.33 per 1,000 in 2017 to 0.86 per 1,000 last year, Xu said, adding that from 2019 to 2023, congenital heart diseases dropped from the leading cause of infant mortality to fourth or fifth position.

"The model can significantly enhance grassroots healthcare, improving primary providers' capabilities, reducing misdiagnoses and boosting their confidence when communicating with parents," Xu said.

He also revealed plans to develop a universal stethoscope with embedded algorithms, extending to countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative for more efficient healthcare delivery.