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A new study from the Mayo Clinic shows how artificial intelligence can determine a person's actual "physiological age," which could be years above or below a person's chronological age. Dr. Paul Friedman, chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Mayo Clinic, joins "Squawk Box" to explain what that means.

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Context: A new Mayo Clinic research study shows that artificial intelligence (AI) can detect the signs of an irregular heart rhythm — atrial fibrillation (AF) — in an EKG, even if the heart is in normal rhythm at the time of a test. In other words, the AI-enabled EKG can detect recent atrial fibrillation that occurred without symptoms or that is impending, potentially improving treatment options. This research could improve the efficiency of the EKG, a noninvasive and widely available method of heart disease screening. The findings and an accompanying commentary are published in The Lancet.

Accuracy and timeliness are important in making an atrial fibrillation diagnosis. Left undetected, atrial fibrillation can cause stroke, heart failure and other cardiovascular disease. Knowing that a patient has atrial fibrillation helps direct treatment with blood thinners, notes Paul Friedman, M.D., chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Friedman, who is a cardiac electrophysiologist, is the study's senior author.

You can read more about the study on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contacts: Traci Klein, Terri Malloy

Tags: artificial Intelligence, atrial fibrillation, CNBC, Dr. Paul Friedman, Squawk Box, Uncategorized