Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic has developed an AI algorithm that can detect obstructive sleep apnea using electrocardiogram results.
The study, published Nov. 4 in JACC: Advances, analyzed 12-lead ECG test data from 11,299 patients who had also undergone sleep evaluations. Of those, more than 7,000 had a known diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea, while 4,000 served as controls.
The AI model identified stronger apnea-related signals in women’s ECGs than in men’s despite women having milder sleep apnea severity, Virend Somers, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic and a senior author of the study, said in a Nov. 4 health system news release.
Mayo Clinic researchers said the new approach may support faster, more accessible screening — particularly for women — and help evaluate the cardiovascular impact of treatment.
