
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology company Viz.ai has released new clinical data that demonstrates the efficacy of its software to advance the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE). Viz.ai’s positive findings are based on studies that tested the diagnostic and workflow performance of its algorithms for PE clot detection and right ventricle/left ventricle ratio management.
The first study analyzed 100 existing chest images from computed tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) tests, which is the primary method for diagnosing PE. The results revealed a sensitivity of 91.1% and specificity of 100%, as well as a substantial positive correlation between the algorithmic and manual calculation of RV/LV ratio.
“Our preliminary findings underscore the remarkable performance of Viz PE and Viz RV/LV,” said Parth Rali, MD, associate professor of thoracic medicine and surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia. “We are excited to partner with Viz.ai and pioneer investigator-initiated research that will reveal the impact of AI technology in revolutionizing patient care.”
The second study focused on the AI technology’s direct impact on early detection and treatment within a tertiary referral center. It found that the technology helped to reduce the average consultation time from four hours to six minutes, significantly speeding up the process to diagnose and begin treatment for PE. The time to radiology report was reduced by 109 minutes on average in facilities that also utilized a multidisciplinary approach performed by a Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT).
“The integration of AI technology into our PE workflow has significantly shortened the time-to-consult, helping us to promptly evaluate and triage these potentially unstable patients,” said Jacob Shapiro, MD, vascular surgery resident at TriHealth in Cincinnati, Ohio. “This advancement has the possibility to reshape the landscape of PE management.”
In the United States, approximately 900,000 people have PE each year. Improving the accuracy and amount of time to diagnose and treat PE could reduce the current mortality rate of PE from 30% to 8%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Viz.ai studies mentioned above are “Automated PE Clot Detection and RV/LV Ratio Measurement using AI-based Deep Learning Algorithms: A Preliminary Validation Study” and “The Use of Artificial Intelligence Technology in the Detection and Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism at a Tertiary Referral Center.”