Application of Neural Networks to 12-Lead Electrocardiography　― Current Status and Future Directions ―

The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is a fast, non-invasive, powerful tool to diagnose or to evaluate the risk of various cardiac diseases. The vast majority of arrhythmias are diagnosed solely on 12-lead ECG. Initial detection of myocardial ischemia such as myocardial infarction (MI), acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and effort angina is also dependent upon 12-lead ECG. ECG reflects the electrophysiological state of the heart through body mass, and thus contains important information on the electricity-dependent function of the human heart. Indeed, 12-lead ECG data are complex. Therefore, the clinical interpretation of 12-lead ECG requires intense training, but still is prone to interobserver variability. Even with rich clinically relevant data, non-trained physicians cannot efficiently use this powerful tool. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that 12-lead ECG may contain information that is not recognized even by well-trained experts but which can be extracted by computer. Artificial intelligence (AI) based on neural networks (NN) has emerged as a strong tool to extract valuable information from ECG for clinical decision making. This article reviews the current status of the application of NN-based AI to the interpretation of 12-lead ECG and also discusses the current problems and future directions.