TOI reports that a group of physician-entrepreneurs at Sheba Medical Center have developed a product that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose a patient’s cardiac problem on the spot.

All it takes is a physician with a handheld ultrasound probe and a digital tablet to catch a problem, whose immediate detection could in some cases mean the difference between life and death.

Because AI drives the diagnosis, all doctors — not only cardiologists — can use the product, called AISAP, successfully.

Ultrasound is commonly used to diagnose heart issues, and portable ultrasound machines, known as point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), have become common in recent years. Portable ultrasound machines make it possible for patients to be scanned at the hospital or home bedside, in an ambulance, or even at a clinic in the remote countryside.

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 surmounts.

“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.

Source - TOI/Twitter - Image - Adi Lamm/ Sheba Medical Center