Narayana Health’s AI becomes India’s first to detect heart failure in a flash
Narayana Health has developed India's first AI model that predicts heart failure using ECG images in near real-time, enabling earlier diagnosis and faster treatment—especially beneficial in rural and low-resource settings.
Bengaluru: The Narayana Health Clinical Research team and Medha AI, the Advanced Analytics & AI division of Narayana Health, today announced the development of a breakthrough artificial intelligence (AI) model capable of predicting heart function—specifically, left ventricular ejection fraction (EF)—from a standard ECG image in near real-time.
Designed for seamless integration into clinical workflows, the model aims to support earlier identification of heart failure and improve diagnostic access in resource-limited settings.
This innovation addresses a critical gap in the diagnostic pathway for millions of patients. Heart failure affects nearly 10 million people across India and accounts for 1.8 million hospital admissions annually. Yet access to echocardiography (ECHO)—the gold standard for evaluating heart function—remains uneven, especially in rural areas. Narayana Health’s AI model offers a novel, scalable approach to screen patients using widely available ECG machines and cloud-based analytics.
Trained on over 100,000 ECG images paired with echocardiogram reports, the model has demonstrated strong predictive performance. In external validation across 14 tertiary centers involving more than 57,000 patients, it identified 97% of individuals with severely reduced EF (≤35%). On average, these patients were flagged 58 days earlier than when echocardiography was eventually ordered, offering valuable lead time for clinical intervention.
During the event, Dr Emmanuel Rupert, Managing Director and Group CEO, Narayana Health; Dr Pradeep Narayan, Chief Scientific Officer, Narayana Health, and Lead Researcher; Dr PM Uthappa, Group Chief Medical Director, Narayana Health; and Dr Deepak Padmanabhan, Senior Consultant, Strategic Lead – Cardiac EP Collegium, Narayana Health, were present.
Dr Devi Shetty, Founder and Chairman, Narayana Health, said: “This breakthrough represents much more than an AI model — it is a reflection of what Narayana Health stands for: combining clinical expertise, deep research, and cutting-edge technology to solve real problems at scale. Detecting heart failure through a simple ECG in near real-time is a leap forward in making advanced diagnostics not just efficient but truly accessible to the masses. AI empowers us to extend the reach of high-quality care beyond hospital walls—enabling faster decisions, earlier interventions, and better outcomes. This innovation showcases India’s potential to lead the future of healthcare globally.”
The Medha AI model for LVEF prediction from ECGs has been integrated into Athma, Narayana Health’s home-built Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system, undergoing rigorous validation at key sites including Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences and Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre in Narayana Health City, as well as select clinics in Bengaluru and at the Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Kolkata.
The model is designed to deliver results in near real-time, with the goal of supporting triage and care planning without disrupting provider workflows.
