Teen CEO Siddharth Nandyala Uses AI to Detect Heart Disease

Siddharth Nandyala, a 17-year-old high school student from Texas, developed CircadiaV, an artificial intelligence-powered application that analyzes heart sounds through a smartphone microphone. The app returns results in seven seconds, screening for more than 40 cardiac conditions including arrhythmias, valve disorders, and murmurs.

Nandyala tested the app on 18,500 patients across multiple clinical sites. The trials demonstrated a 96% accuracy rate in detecting abnormalities, comparable to standard echocardiograms but without the need for specialized equipment or trained technicians.

The teen CEO said the technology aims to address gaps in cardiac care for underserved populations, particularly in rural areas and developing countries where access to stethoscopes and cardiologists is limited. CircadiaV requires only a smartphone and a quiet environment to function.

Nandyala began working on the project three years ago after a family friend died from an undiagnosed heart condition. He taught himself machine learning and signal processing, building the algorithm from scratch using publicly available heart sound datasets and clinical recordings.

CircadiaV is currently being prepared for regulatory approval in the United States and India. Nandyala plans to offer the app at low cost or free to community health centers and nonprofit organizations serving low-income communities.