SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#AI–PMcardio, a leader in AI-powered heart diagnostics, announced today that its Queen of Hearts™ algorithm demonstrated breakthrough accuracy in detecting acute heart attacks, known as STEMIs, in a major, multi-center U.S. validation study. The results, presented at the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) 2025 conference and published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, showed that the AI tool can significantly improve heart attack recognition while reducing unnecessary procedures— achieving the best of both worlds: higher accuracy and fewer false alarms.
In one of the largest real-world studies of its kind, researchers at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston), UC Davis (Sacramento), and UTHealth (Houston) reviewed more than 1,000 patients treated emergently for acute heart attack suspicion. The Queen of Hearts™ AI correctly identified 92% of true heart attacks on the first ECG—compared with 71% using standard triage—while cutting false alarms from 42% to just 8%, representing a fivefold reduction.
“These results show that AI ECG analysis can help clinicians diagnose heart attacks faster and more accurately, getting patients to treatment sooner,” said Dr. Timothy D. Henry, Director of Clinical Research at The Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, “this is especially important for patients transferred from smaller or rural hospitals that don’t perform emergency heart procedures, where only 17% currently receive timely treatment.”
The findings build on encouraging results from the ongoing DIFOCCULT-3 clinical trial—the largest randomized study of AI in cardiology—enrolling 6,000 patients across 18 hospitals in Turkey. Early data show that patients in the AI-assisted group received treatment up to five hours faster and experienced improved short-term outcomes. Data on the impact on long-term survival are expected next year.
“These consistent results from both real-world and randomized studies highlight how AI could improve long-term outcomes,” said Dr. Robert Herman, PhD, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Powerful Medical, “since up to 40% of heart attacks present with atypical ECGs, our technology helps ensure these patients receive lifesaving care in time.”
The Queen of Hearts™ algorithm, trained on millions of ECGs, also provides visual explanations that show clinicians which parts of the ECG most influence its decisions—helping them better understand and trust the AI’s findings. Together, these studies underscore the platforms potential to transform emergency cardiac care by improving diagnostic accuracy, reducing unnecessary procedures, and saving more lives worldwide.
Contacts
Lucia Bojkovska
[email protected]
