Real-World Evidence from Japan: How AI-ECG Helps Identify Future Atrial Fibrillation Risk
AI-based ECG analysis is often discussed as a future technology.
However, in Japan, AI-ECG is already part of everyday clinical practice.
Fukuda Denshi provides diagnostic ECG systems equipped with AI-based analysis, and their clinical value is increasingly supported by real-world evidence.
One notable example is a prospective study conducted in Shimizu, Japan, published in the Journal of Arrhythmia in 2025.
This study evaluated whether AI-ECG risk classification derived from routine health-check ECGs could be associated with the future detection of atrial fibrillation (AF).
Importantly, the ECG data used in this study were not collected in a controlled research environment.
They were obtained during everyday health screenings, reflecting real clinical workflows.
The results showed that individuals classified as higher risk by AI-ECG were more likely to be diagnosed with AF in the future.
Moreover, the AI-based approach demonstrated better discrimination performance than traditional clinical risk scores.
These findings suggest that AI-ECG may contribute to earlier risk identification and preventive strategies, even before clinical symptoms appear.
Rather than replacing clinicians, AI-ECG can function as a supportive tool that enhances the value of routine ECG examinations already performed in daily practice.
🔗 Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40621219/
