South Florida hospital using AI in labor and delivery ward
MIAMI - A hospital in the Miami area is bringing new life into the world with the help of AI — and some patients say it's made maternal care even more personal.
Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach uses a program called Vigilance by PeriGen to track a mother's progress through labor and delivery. While nurses monitor patients constantly, the AI's algorithm works in the background tracking changes every 15 seconds that could mean trouble for mom or baby.
"It doesn't take away from the human factor of caring," said Kylie Rowlands Perez, the assistant vice president of maternal child at Mount Sinai Medical Center. "I liken it much to a GPS. I know how to drive but I use Waze to get home or any kind of driving tool to try to get myself home so that I get there quicker and safer."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are avoidable with better monitoring.
The FDA-approved technology has been found to significantly reduce the rate of fetal brain injuries, cerebral palsy cases and prediction errors during labor.
First-time mom Rafaella Kanbar said her labor and delivery process was smooth and safe.
"The process here was just so great," Kanbar said. "When in the middle of pushing, I'm like, 'When's the next one?'"
She credits the team at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach along with the help of artificial intelligence.
"I'm a big advocate for AI in general, in my work in marketing healthcare, and also in promoting anything that can help reduce the risk of unnecessary procedures like C-sections," she said. "It's based on real data so it's always going to make me feel more confident and comfortable."
Rowlands Perez said in maternity care, every second counts and AI is a time saver that can also be a lifesaver.
"Even though the nurses are attentive and always watching the mom and the babies and the labor, it sends the alert just quicker, so you intervene a lot quicker," she said. "We're able to intervene so that we can get that mom and baby back on track to where we want them to be."
Just like her hopes and dreams for her new son, Daniel, Kanbar believes AI is the future.
"The more I think AI and we embrace it in healthcare, the easier life is going to be both for patients and for doctors and together, really bringing better treatment," Kanbar said.
Experts believe this type of technology may also cut down on inherent biases in medical care.
Mount Sinai is also implementing AI in different specialties, including cardiology and internal medicine.