Jakarta, INTI - Heart failure remains a major public health challenge in Indonesia. According to data from the Asian-HF Registry, Indonesia has the second-highest number of heart failure cases in Asia, behind only China. The growing burden is further intensified by high mortality rates and frequent hospital readmissions among patients.
A significant number of readmissions are linked to residual pulmonary congestion, the accumulation of fluid in the lungs that often goes undetected when patients are discharged. Conventional diagnostic methods, such as auscultation with a stethoscope, have limited sensitivity, while more advanced technologies, including lung ultrasound and NT-proBNP blood tests, are expensive and require specialized expertise.
NAVI-HF: An AI Innovation for Heart Failure Detection
To address this challenge, Dr. dr. Rony M. Santoso, SpJP, SubSp.K.I(K), FIHA, a cardiovascular specialist at Primaya Hospital Tangerang, developed the Novel Auscultation Device of Artificial Intelligence for Heart Failure (NAVI-HF). The device was created as part of his doctoral research at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia (FKUI).
NAVI-HF captures chest sounds from five examination points in approximately one minute. Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), the system analyzes the recordings to objectively detect signs of pulmonary congestion that could indicate a higher risk of heart failure deterioration.
Supporting, Not Replacing, Medical Professionals
Dr. Rony emphasized that NAVI-HF is designed to complement, rather than replace, healthcare professionals.
"Its primary purpose is to help physicians identify high-risk patients at an earlier stage. With this simple and portable device, doctors can better assess whether a patient's condition is truly stable before discharge," he said.
Looking ahead, NAVI-HF is expected to play an important role in telemedicine and home-based patient monitoring. By enabling faster and more accurate detection of heart failure complications, the technology has the potential to reduce the burden on Indonesia's healthcare system while improving the quality of life for heart failure patients.
Conclusion
NAVI-HF demonstrates how AI-driven medical innovation can improve the early detection and management of heart failure. By supporting clinical decision-making with a simple and portable solution, the technology has the potential to enhance patient outcomes while advancing Indonesia's digital healthcare ecosystem.
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