AI-Driven Cardiac Diagnosis: AISAP’s Breakthrough Innovation

A groundbreaking product developed by physician-entrepreneurs at Sheba Medical Center is changing the way cardiac issues are diagnosed. This product, known as AISAP, leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to provide immediate on-the-spot cardiac assessments. Unlike traditional methods, AISAP empowers all doctors, not just cardiologists, to use a handheld ultrasound probe and a digital tablet for real-time diagnosis.

The Challenge in Cardiac Diagnosis

Despite the availability of portable ultrasound machines, known as point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), timely diagnosis of cardiac problems remains a challenge. Not all patients can be prioritized for a scan, and there may not be enough expert physicians available for quick interpretations. This is where AISAP comes into play, offering a solution to address these challenges.

Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death globally, with millions of lives lost annually. AISAP aims to prevent unnecessary fatalities by enabling rapid diagnosis and management of cardiac issues. It transforms POCUS into POCAD (point-of-care assisted diagnosis), ensuring that any physician can quickly assess and diagnose cardiac problems.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean that a patient receives a timely, lifesaving diagnosis. Even if POCUS is available, not every patient can be prioritized for a scan, and not enough expert physicians may be available to quickly interpret them. This is the challenge that AISAP surmount.

“There are a lot of scenarios today where a non-cardiologist is managing a cardiac patient. It could be on the internal medicine floor, in the emergency department, in the intensive care unit, or an outpatient setting. These physicians need rapid answers,” said Prof. Robert Klempfner, co-founder and chief medical officer of AISAP.

This is an urgent challenge when according to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, ending an estimated 17.9 million lives annually. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 6.2 million American adults currently living with heart failure.

How AISAP Works

AISAP is designed to be user-friendly and compatible with various handheld scanning devices and digital tablets. It focuses on obtaining images from just two key scan points and interprets information related to eight critical heart functions. These functions include assessing left and right heart function, detecting valvular pathology, and measuring fluid around the heart.

The Role of AI

AISAP relies on AI to provide real-time feedback on image quality during the scan. If the images are not clear enough, the system prompts the clinician to optimize them. After the scan, the images are sent to a secure cloud-based platform, where AI analyzes them by comparing them to a vast database of existing scans. The results are sent back to the tablet almost instantly, ensuring rapid diagnosis.

A Wealth of Experience

AISAP’s AI is trained on a database of millions of annotated and diagnosed images from expert cardiologists, giving it extensive experience. This collective intelligence enhances its diagnostic accuracy, making it a valuable tool for healthcare providers.

Transforming Patient Care

AISAP has already proven its worth in clinical practice. It enables physicians to conduct bedside examinations and receive reports within seconds. This immediate feedback allows for quicker decision-making and improved patient care. Physicians can even share reports securely with colleagues worldwide, facilitating collaboration.

Training physicians to use AISAP is a relatively quick process, taking just a few hours. While there is a learning curve, the system provides ongoing feedback and support, helping clinicians improve their scanning skills.

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Clinical Trial Success

A prospective clinical trial conducted at Sheba involving 1,000 patients across seven departments demonstrated AISAP’s effectiveness. Half of the patients who received AISAP scans showed findings that would have been missed with traditional methods. Additionally, half of these patients required a change in their management plan.

AISAP’s AI-powered solution is revolutionizing cardiac diagnosis by offering immediate assessments that any physician can perform. With its ability to quickly detect cardiac issues, AISAP has the potential to save lives and improve patient outcomes.

TL;DR

AISAP, developed at Sheba Medical Center, uses AI to enable rapid cardiac diagnosis using a handheld ultrasound probe and digital tablet. This innovation empowers all doctors to quickly assess heart conditions, potentially saving lives. AISAP’s AI analyzes images in real-time and provides immediate feedback, enhancing the quality of patient care. Clinical trials have demonstrated its effectiveness, with a significant number of patients benefiting from faster and more accurate diagnoses. AISAP is set to transform the field of cardiac diagnosis and improve patient outcomes.