Purpose: Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) can introduce electrocardiogram (ECG) criteria that lack patient-specific measurement support. This study evaluates the reliability of retrieved diagnostic criteria in AI-generated ECG reports.
Methods: We analyzed 1,083 human-validated PTB-XL patient records using a library of 47 criteria cards, including 33 without numeric verification rules. Language models generated structured reports with and without retrieval. Criterion applicability was evaluated using Marquette 12SL measurements, with independent assessment using Uni-G and comparison against expert-validated diagnostic labels.
Results: Keyword retrieval introduced untestable or measurement-disconfirmed criteria in 46.8% of GPT-4.1-mini reports. A deterministic verification rule withdrew 647 criterion applications, including 639 without numeric checks, while preserving 268 of 269 applications independently supported by Uni-G. Restricting retrieval to 14 testable criteria reduced the initial unsupported-criterion rate to 13.8%. Under matched instructions and an identical output schema, retrieval increased unsupported-criterion reports from 17.4% to 31.1%, while hypertrophy recall remained unchanged at 62.6%.
Conclusion: These findings identify a fundamental limitation of retrieval-based clinical report generation: retrieved criteria do not necessarily provide valid patient-specific evidence. Measurement-based verification can reduce unsupported criterion applications, but diagnostic validity requires independent assessment.